... but it's difficult to believe we have reached a point where this is necessary.

The “Media” has seemed to forget, that the same day HW took office, after Reagan, he immediately pardoned over a hundred of Reagan’s administration who were actually indicted on serious charges, and who were actually truly guilty of MAJOR crimes. Some, I think, included for what were many acts of actual TREASON……

...

Do we give out blanket, non-specific pardons just to prevent criminal investigation/charges or whatever?

Treading new, potentially dangerous ground here, IMO

He was never charged with a crime.

...saying a sitting president can't be criminally prosecuted, which became DOJ policy & practice for the next 50+ years, until SCOTUS made it "official."

And because the justice system can no longer be trusted to throw those charges out as the nonsense they most certainly will be.

...is, I'd say, less questionable than pardoning people who have indeed probably acted criminally (e.g. Steve Bannon, among numerous other questionable pardons and clemencies provided by presidents in the past).

Biden is doing the only decent thing he can to protect these public servants from the abuse of power to come.

“These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,” Biden said, adding that “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.”

I.e., they insist

that "DOGE" is somehow a real Department

a President can shut down an agency or eliminate an entire Department at the stroke of a pen

a President can "declassify" classified documents with a thought

This will come back to bite us in the ass. We won't like where this heads.

Sometimes one has to stand up to the bully and human nature shows that people tend to gravitate towards those who are willing to "fight" however they can.

Continuing to "turn the other cheek" hasn't worked although we know that WE still have empathy and they have none.

Your objections are based on a reality that no longer exists.

Let's face it, one lesson of the past 10 years is that nothing comes back to bite a politician in the ass. Trump is a criminal, a sexual abuser, and he tried to overthrow the US government, and yet millions of idiots re-elected him. Doing a necessary move to protect innocent people from him will not bit anyone in the ass.

And this post is no exception.

Accepting a pardon is not an admission of guilt.

explaining that to the average person. This confirms everything that has been said about them.

These fine heroes need protection from the beast.

Now, what about Cheney, Kinzinger and the rest of the January 6 investigation?

Biden is also extending pardons to members and staff of the Jan. 6 committee, including former Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Republicans, as well as the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the committee.

The jan 6 comittee so yes cheney and kinziger would be included.

along with the Capitol Police who testified. From the article -

Trump's enemies list is long.

including my (PA's) current Secretary of State and former (R) Philadelphia City Commissioner - Al Schmidt.


Al Schmidt testifying in front of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in June 2022

Some were there under subpoena too.

I think he was trying to cover the Committee, their staff, and the LEO who were impacted and became surrogates in support of the Committee's work. Those LEO were actually the very first ones to testify at the Committee's inaugural hearing, a month after the Committee came into existence, after which the Committee didn't have another hearing for almost a year..

Too protect people from being harassed for their government service. How much do you think lawyering up would cost? Thanks Joe.

… them (GOPers) pardoning EVERYONE in and associated with their administration who might come under investigation for malfeasance in the future.

Just like the fillibuster. Which was protected only so long as Democrats needed it and now it will be removed so a Republican Senate can do as it likes.

They don't need a precedent to wreak their havoc. They will use this, but without it they would just make something up.

These pardons will be used for propaganda, no matter how well Biden worded his statement.

It’s not a guess that they will. T already said he would!! Many more people who were just doing there jobs will be in line for prison.

These people fought hard for us and they deserve protection from MAGA nutballs.

what I’ve called “willful misinterpretation.”

trump is hell bent on revenge. Sick man for a sick country.

Joe Biden did what he thought was right and necessary. That's good enough for me.

I understand Steve Bannon called for a military tribunal for Mark Milley. This is the guy that Trump put above the law when he ripped off Trump's own loyalists who sent Bannon money to build a wall and then Bannon put their money in his own pockets.

This is caliber of people who will be in charge of the military and the judicial system in a few hours.

Yes, our justice system can put people through the ringer. Even when they've done nothing wrong. But that's how we demonstrate they aren't guilty. Instead, we have Joe declaring their innocence in advance and the Trump DOJ invalid, just as Trump declared Joe's DOJ invalid.

I don't think the J6 committee committed any crimes. The J6 insurrectionists did plenty. But we trust our justice system to sort that out.

Why is a 33 year old going to go to jail for stealing one document and an X president driving off with a truck full of documents justified? We don’t have rule of law. We have a maniac with immunity and our national secrets have been released to ‘our enimies’!

….hope you had a nice visit!

If saying what's true but unpopular is frowned upon gets banishment then we are no better than the other side!

I didn't say it, Hur did in his report.

It repeats right wing talking points and claims Republicans and Democrats are the same

Presidential immunity says it all and the court gave that to your fearless leader. What are you complaining about. If you need a pardon I’m sure you can get one. The rest of the J6 clowns are ready to walk free!Fox is not your friend!

extreme court? aileen cannon? kaszmarack? THAT justice system? The one TRAITOR**/RAPIST/FELON34 has been using to his advantage, and to fuck everyine ekse over his entIre life? THAT justice system? The one that women have been told since the 70's would protect them, no ERA needed? THAT justice system?

YOU may trust that system. I certainly do not.

Last edited Mon Jan 20, 2025, 01:08 PM - Edit history (1)

This subject ALLOWS us to take the high ground. But Dems have to get out there and fight hard for the issue, rather than just hang out in their bunkers for 4 years.

This was a NECESSARY step because of the fascism that Trump, Musk and the cabinet of billionaires are visiting upon OUR COUNTRY.

The fact that your first impression was one of losing the engagement speaks volumes about how lousy today's Dems are at engaging in PR. THAT MUST CHANGE.

Time will justify the existing pardons and regret there were not more

It protects anybody on the Special Committee, and people who testified. But it should have included everybody on Patel's enemies list by name, because that would have given us a better starting point for making the case that this was a necessary response to the threat of unlawful persecution of innocent people.

Thanks for the update

You can't put your faith into our system of justice only when the other guys are being charged. Pardoning someone because they're innocent is a really strange argument to make.

This is no time to bring a white paper to a machine gun fight.

Sorry asses in congress going to try BS....

They say:

The first is baked into the legal history of the pardon process; the second statement is what Biden said about this particular occasion.

When the pardon itself says it is not an admission of guilt, saying otherwise (just because people have traditionally thought that way) does not change that fact.

And the 10th circuit court of appeals in 2021 ruled that acceptance of a presidential pardon does not constitute admission of guilt.

Also, just a couple days ago, AP published an article on Trump's promised pardons of Jan 6 insurrectionists and made absolutely no mention of the accepting a pardon would be an admission of guilt. Clearly today's article was biased against Biden and those he pardoned.

...we're also at the point where he'll just ignore it and have a kangaroo court anyway.

Can open hearings and call witnesses, etc. They can still be drug through the mud and their reputations ruined.

If he feels he can get away with it, his cronies at Justice will do his bidding, and his cronies in the Supreme Court will allow it.

Norms be damned. What does he care about those?

Link to tweet

Rand Pual pissed he going to try haul Dr Fauci before congress what a sorry asses......

still be subject to reduction in rank, which is an administrative process unaffected by a pardon. The action is taken by their Service Secretary or Secretary of Defense and an officer may be reduced to the highest rank in which they served satisfactorily - a subjective judgment.

In Milley's case it would need to be in a military court, I would think. In Fauci/Cheney cases a Grand Jury would have to be convened and charges stem from that process. With Cheney it is an exclusive function of Congress so there seems to be jurisdiction issue involved. I don't even see how judge shopping gets an indictment so what am I missing?

Watergate break-in, tape of Nixon directing the operation. There are no obvious crimes here.

The lack of faith in the criminal justice system that indictments could even be made. Biden even spoke of the financial ruin this could cause. It shows the vast amount of work that can't even start until Trump is out of office in 4 years. Until then, we are a lawless society.

judges like Canon who are doing things that are NOT based in law.

We need to do what we have to. This is one of those things.

We are about to see what narcissistic rage driven vengeance looks like.
That's what this whole charade is about. Since 2016.

STFU about this being a wrong move by Biden!

The vindictive felon gave him no choice.
Hopefully, some day, the United States will be a country that adheres to the rule of law and not the whims of a thug.

What if he doesn't?

Sure, there is no mechanism for ignoring a presidential pardon (except state crimes). But that does not mean that Trump and his followers will not create an "Unpardon" power for the president out of whole cloth.

What did Fauci do but try to help people, etc

Couldn't stand Dick Cheney but I credit his daughter with at least putting the Constitution and country ahead of the felon. And that is going to get punished?

Ditto for Milley

etc, etc, etc.

It won't last. Too many guns in the country.

It would be up to whatever judge is overseeing an attempted indictment, or trial, of these individuals.

Trump can order his AG to go after these people, but those proceedings have to take place under a federal judge who will have full knowledge that the pardons issued today means that they are immune to prosecution for past actions.

Including all Democrats who are mayors of major cities, the entire Jan 6 Committee, all Democrats in congress, and the list goes on and on. We may have seen the last real election in 2024. Trump declares martial law, doesn't leave office or appoints his son or other cronies as president.

A list I found of people he pardoned was way shorter than it should have been.

Thank you, Mr. President.

With just hours remaining, the retiring Democrat issued pardons for Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci and several people related to the Jan. 6 investigation.
https://bsky.app/profile/joy.msnbc.com/post/3lg6ijsjqlk2l