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Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter is incredibly concerning particularly given the breadth of what Joe Biden covered — everything in the past 11 years, not just the tax or the gun charges. So, it could cover any federal crime in that period of time–including drugs, trafficking, foreign influence peddling, which could touch Joe himself. Talk about throwing over the norms and stomping on them. 

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I warned he might not be done yet. As I wrote in a VIP story after the Hunter pardon dropped Monday, more pardons might be coming, including potentially a pardon for Joe Biden himself: 

Note that this is coming in the wake of the nomination of Kash Patel for FBI Director. Democrats are losing their minds over that. That signals to them that Trump is serious about cleaning house and holding people accountable.

Not only do I think Biden’s going to drop more pardons, I think he’s going to blame President-elect Donald Trump for the “necessity” of having to do it. He’s going to claim that because that evil Trump wants “retribution,” he has to pardon people to protect them and the country from such evil. He’s already effectively saying that with the Hunter pardon. He had to do the Hunter pardon now because Hunter’s sentencing was coming up shortly. But he can wait until January and drop the other pardons at the last minute. It’s for our own good, he’ll tell us, for the good of the nation, to stop Trump so that we don’t have to go through any turmoil.

READ MORE: Prepare for More Pardons From Biden, Including Maybe the Biggest One of Them All

Now, Jonathan Martin of Politico is reporting that Biden WH aides are, according to sources, in fact in discussions about a raft of other, possible pardons: 

Joe Biden’s senior aides are conducting a vigorous internal debate over whether to issue preemptive pardons to a range of current and former public officials who could be targeted with President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, according to senior Democrats familiar with the discussions.

Biden’s aides are deeply concerned about a range of current and former officials who could find themselves facing inquiries and even indictments, a sense of alarm which has only accelerated since Trump last weekend announced the appointment of Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Patel has publicly vowed to pursue Trump’s critics.

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They’re so predictable.

Of course, it isn’t because the people in question may have done things wrong, it’s because they’ve “angered Trump” and Patel, according to  Martin’s sources. This is pretty far-reaching, who they might try to protect from prosecution. If you thought Hunter’s pardon was stomping on norms, this completely rips them to shreds: 

The deliberations touch on pardoning those currently in office, elected and appointed, as well as former officials who’ve angered Trump and his loyalists.

Those who could face exposure include such members of Congress’ Jan. 6 Committee as Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Trump has previously said Cheney “should go to Jail along with the rest of the Unselect Committee!” Also mentioned by Biden’s aides for a pardon is Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who became a lightning rod for criticism from the right during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Then if the pardons are as preemptive and broad as Hunter’s, they could absolve them of all kinds of potential criminal behavior. This is a complete repudiation of the rule of law. And as I said, Martin’s column blames the discussions on concerns about “reprisals” and “revenge.” 

Martin even cites Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) as an example of someone pushing the preemptive pardon angle. Markey dropped the “it’s for the good of the nation” point in a recent interview: 

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“If it’s clear by January 19 that [revenge] 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,” Markey said on WGBH last week.

Martin writes other officials he spoke to are as “emphatic” about Biden granting the pardons. 

What has some Biden aides particularly concerned is that even the threat of retaliation could prove costly to individuals because they’d be forced to hire high-priced lawyers to defend themselves in any potential investigation.

Especially for those officials without significant means, the specter of six-figure legal bills in the coming years is unnerving. Some Biden appointees, I’m told by people facing scrutiny, are already considering taking the best-paying jobs next year in part to ensure they have the resources to defend themselves against any investigations.

Gee, you mean like Trump and his associates had to face? 

Martin posted about a statement from Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), who encouraged blanket pardons, blaming the “threat” of Kash Patel: 

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The post reads:

“By choosing Kash Patel as his FBI Director, Trump has made it clear that he is more focused on settling personal scores than on protecting the American people or upholding the rule of law. Patel has openly published an ‘enemies list’ in his book, naming individuals he and Trump plan to investigate and prosecute—targeting those who stood up to Trump’s lies, abuses of power, and baseless attempts to overturn the 2020 election. This is no hypothetical threat.

“The people they’re targeting include law enforcement officers, military personnel, and others who have spent their lives protecting this country. These patriots shouldn’t have to live in fear of political retribution for doing what’s right. That’s why I’m urging President Biden to issue a blanket pardon for anyone unjustly targeted by this vindictive scheme.

“If we’re serious about stopping Trump’s authoritarian ambitions, we need to act decisively and use every tool at our disposal. Norms and traditions alone won’t stop him—Trump has shown time and again that he’s willing to ignore them to consolidate power and punish his opponents. The time for cautious restraint is over. We must act with urgency to push back against these threats and prevent Trump from abusing his power.”

We have to protect against Trump’s “authoritarian ambitions” by turning norms on their head — so much for the rule of law. 

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The White House did not deny that such discussions were going on when asked, according to Martin.