Some Senate Democrats have discussed whether President Joe Biden should consider pardons for politicians targeted by President-elect Donald Trump, reports the Washington Examiner.
"There have certainly been discussions about this among some. How could there not be after all of the threats Trump has issued," one Senate Democratic aide told the news outlet.
Trump during his presidential campaign threatened to jail those "involved in unscrupulous behavior" this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
Vice President Kamala Harris "should be impeached and prosecuted," Trump said at a rally in September.
"I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family," Trump said last year.
"Elizabeth Lynne Cheney Is Guilty of Treason," reads one post Trump reposted on his social media site, Truth Social, regarding the former Republican congresswoman, further reading, "Retruth If You Want Televised Military Tribunals."
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., has floated the idea that Biden should consider "preemptive pardons" to people Trump has threatened to prosecute.
"I think that without question, Trump is going to try to act in a dictatorial way, in a fascistic way, in a revengeful first year — at least — of his administration toward individuals who he believes harmed him," Markey said in an interview with Boston Public Radio.
"If it's clear by Jan. 19 that that is his intention, then I would recommend to President Biden that he provide those preemptive pardons to people because that's really what our country is going to need next year," he added.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told the Examiner he would need more time to think about preemptive pardons but that he understood why the president shielded his son.
"Let me just talk about the one that's on everybody's mind, the one that's relevant: Given the lengths that Donald Trump has gone to politicize the Justice Department, I consider what was done by the president over the weekend as understandable," Wyden said.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., though, said the push is not something he'd advise Biden to go through with.
Added outgoing independent West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, "I don't know how you pardon a person that's not been charged with anything. I don't think that can happen."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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