Former Obama aide David Axelrod on Tuesday slammed former President Biden for granting preemptive pardons to families, saying Biden should “stand firm” and live up to his responsibilities.
“That was terrible. Ten minutes before the inauguration they announced he had pardoned members of his family. I mean, get your act together! You know what I mean? Get your act together, if you're going to do it, do it. You should, but don’t do it.’ You don’t have to do it with literally one foot out the door, you don’t have to explain it, you don’t have to take responsibility for it. What they did was they gave Trump a gift. Because it obscures the story, the story of J6 for him. You heard his voice last night,” Axelrod said on the “Hacks on Tap” podcast. Mediaite reported.
Minutes before President Trump took office, President Biden's White House announced that the outgoing president would preemptively pardon several family members.
“Can we end a presidency as bad as his? I mean, Trump did,” Axelrod added.
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David Axelrod once again criticized former President Biden's last second pardon on his podcast “Hacks On Tap.” (Left: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Right: (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images))
Axelrod's co-host Mike Murphy agreed with Axelrod's timing and policy, saying he “showed a lack of ball.” But Murphy said some of the pardons may have been justified because of Trump's attacks.
The former Obama adviser agreed, repeating his earlier claims.
“Come on, tell me I'm doing this for this guy.” [Trump] Threatened my family, threatened people working on their jobs, I mean, get your act together! ” Axelrod added.
President Biden's pardon applies to James Biden, Sarah Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John Owens, and Frances Biden, President Biden announced Monday. The president claimed his family could be the subject of a “politically motivated investigation.”
The pardon came after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer asked President Trump's Justice Department to investigate and prosecute. james biden Charged with making false statements to Congress.
axelrod said Biden's White House style seemed “particularly despicable.”
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President Joe Biden descends the stairs of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Susan Walsh/Associated Press)
“It was amazing to me that they did it the way they did,” Axelrod said.
President Trump reacted to the move, saying it made it seem like Biden was guilty.
“Probably every outgoing president will pardon everyone he's ever met,” he said. “I think there's a precedent for doing that now. I wouldn't do that, no. I think that would make you feel very guilty. It would make Biden feel very bad, very weak, and very guilty. I think I'll show it to you.”
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The former president sought to contrast himself with President Trump in 2020, saying he would not issue preemptive pardons in 2020.
Axelrod said Monday that Biden's pardon looks “sleazy.”
