Bill Clinton advised against Biden issuing preemptive pardons amid fears of Trump-led investigations into political opponents.
Former President Bill Clinton expressed his opposition to the idea of President Joe Biden issuing preemptive pardons for his wife, Hillary Clinton, or others who might be the subject of investigations under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
“I hope he won’t do that,” Clinton said during an
appearance on The View on Dec. 11 when asked if Biden should consider pardons for Hillary Clinton or others supposedly at risk of prosecution under the Trump administration.
“Most of us get out of this world ahead of where we'd get if all we got was simple justice,” he said. “[It’s] normally a fool’s errand to spend a lot of time trying to get even.”
Clinton added that he does not believe any potential charges brought against his wife would be valid, arguing she did nothing wrong in her handling of emails during her time at the U.S. State Department, a matter of considerable attention and controversy.
A three-year investigation by the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security
found 38 individuals responsible for 91 security violations involving Hillary Clinton’s private email server but no evidence of systemic or deliberate mishandling of classified information. The FBI probe resulted in no charges, though former director James Comey criticized Clinton’s “extremely careless” handling of sensitive information.
Bill Clinton’s advice on avoiding preemptive pardons came in response to a question whether it would be a good move on Biden’s part to preemptively pardon “any potential targets,” including Hillary Clinton, who “apparently is on Kash Patel’s list.”
Patel, who Trump nominated to serve as the next FBI director, said in an
interview several months ago that he doesn’t have a “hit list” of people he thinks should be investigated. However, Patel identified numerous individuals in his book “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy” as part of what he views as a network undermining democracy. The book lists current and former officials, including prominent figures such as Hillary Clinton, Biden, and others, as alleged participants in this so-called “deep state.” The list highlights Patel’s focus on individuals associated with investigations into Trump, including those tied to the Russia probe, the Steele dossier, and Trump’s impeachments.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
said Biden is “reviewing other pardons and commutations.” Jean-Pierre was responding to a question about whether the president was considering blanket pardons for people fearful of being potentially targeted by the incoming administration. The press secretary said that, as of Dec. 6, Biden had issued 20 individual pardons and 122 commutations, and “there certainly would be more.”
Controversially, Biden recently pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who potentially faced decades in prison for tax evasion and gun crimes. That decision marked a reversal for the president, who repeatedly ruled out a pardon or commutation for his son, pledging not to use his presidential powers to benefit his family members.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden
said in a statement released by the White House. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
Trump
reacted to Hunter Biden’s pardon by asking whether the president’s decision extended to people imprisoned for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, describing their detention as an “abuse and miscarriage of justice.” He recently vowed to move quickly to pardon Jan. 6 defendants after Inauguration Day, although he noted there could be some exceptions to the pardons if the individuals’ conduct on that day was “radical” or “crazy.”
“I’m going to look at everything. We’re going to look at individual cases,” Trump said.
