Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on Monday that President Biden would set a “precedent” by granting preemptive pardons to him and others related to his work on the House committee that investigated the January 6 incident. He said he didn't want it made. , 2021, the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“This would set the wrong precedent,” Schiff said in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash. “I don't want to see future presidents leaving office with broad pardons.”
Asked about the possibility of more targeted pardons, Schiff said: [President-elect Trump] Now that the crosshairs have been set, we are all extremely proud of the work we have done. ”
“We support it. We feel protected by the Speech and Debate Clause, so my personal feeling is let's avoid such a sweeping precedent,” he said. added.
Mr. Schiff said he would not say “no” if such a pardon was offered, and said of Mr. Biden, “I would urge him not to go down that path.”
In a sit-down interview that aired last month, President Trump suggested to NBC News' Kristen Welker that he would not specifically order his top appointees to go after political opponents, but the Jan. He also mentioned the imprisonment of group members.
Some Democrats have argued that Biden should preemptively pardon individuals who could be targeted by President Trump and his administration before he leaves office later this month.
“We're back to this conundrum, where a Democratic president does something for a very good reason, a laudable reason, a good reason, which is, in this case, that the people are being unfairly threatened by the president-elect. “But then that precedent is lost and could be exploited,” Schiff said in an appearance on CNN on Monday.
President Trump also promised clemency for the rioters who showed up at the Capitol four years ago on January 6th. The president-elect has indicated that some pardons could be granted within the first hours of his second term.
On Monday, Congress certified Trump's 2024 election victory, with no opposition from lawmakers in the chamber, formalizing his victory over Vice President Harris two weeks after Inauguration Day.
Hill has reached out to the White House and Trump's transition team for comment.
