Below is my column in The Hill on the calls for “blanket pardons” for hundreds and even thousands of people. Despite Trump’s ill-considered statement about how the J6 Committee members should go to jail for what they did on NBC this weekend, Trump has also insisted that he wants “success” to be his revenge. Many in the media are also omitting that Trump immediately said “no” to whether he would direct either the Attorney General or the FBI director to indict or investigate. While I have been a vocal critic of the J6 Committee, I know of no crime that could be credibly pursued against the members, as I have written. More importantly, presidents do not just send people to jail. There will be no round-up of opponents and democracy will survive. We have an entire constitutional system designed to prevent arbitrary prosecutions or authoritarian measures. These White Knight pardons are meant to preserve a collapsing narrative of how Trump wants to round up his enemies and end democracy. It has resulted in a strange and uniquely Washington phenomenon: pardon envy.
Here is the column:
Liberal pundits and press in Washington are facing a growing nightmare in Washington. No, it is not the victory of President-elect Donald Trump or the Democrats’ loss of both houses of Congress and the popular vote in this election. It is the possibility that democracy may not collapse as predicted, and Trump might not even round up his opponents en masse.
For months, liberals have been telling voters that this will likely be their last election and that democracy is about to end in the U.S. ABC host Whoopi Goldberg declared on “The View” that Trump will immediately become a dictator who will “put you people away … take all the journalists … take all the gay folks … move you all around and disappear you.”
Many predicted they would be on the top of the enemies list and the first to be rounded up.
Now, the moment is nearly here, and pundits are dreading that the public may notice there is no line of democracy champions being frog-marched down Pennsylvania Avenue. Faced with such a scenario and a further loss of credibility, many are coming up with the next best thing — pretending they stopped the roundup by having Biden pardon everyone. The spin will be that Trump would have gone after rivals but was prevented from doing so by Biden.
The idea is to portray yourself as a white knight, riding down to protect the vulnerable and timid from the coming hoard.
Even if democracy inconveniently survives, Biden can preserve the narrative with sweeping pardons.
The White House is reportedly exploring giving preemptive pardons to figures ranging from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
Cheney previously declared that this “may well be the last real vote you ever get to cast.” A pardon would preserve her persona as a modern-day Joan of Arc who avoided being burnt at the stake only by the grace of a Biden pardon.
Others seem to be panicking that there may be a list of pardoned people, but they will be left off. Call it “Pardon Envy.” The only thing worse than not being on a Trump enemies list is not being on a Biden pardon list.
Before the election, MSNBC host Al Sharpton and regular Donny Deutsch warned viewers that they would likely be added to an “enemies list.” MSNBC host Rachel Maddow ominously told her viewers that, “Yes, I’m worried about me — but only as much as I’m worried about all of us.”
Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin seemed apoplectic that she and others might be omitted from both lists. One has to be somewhat sympathetic to Rubin. To be left both unpardoned and unarrested is to lose all standing among the “save democracy” social set.
Rubin, once dubbed the Post’s Republican columnist, has called for the Republican Party to be burned down and recently advised people how to keep panic alive despite the election: “You can’t talk broad themes. You have to boil it down to nuts and bolts, and you have to be pithy. What do I mean by pithy? How about this: Republicans want to kill your kids. It’s true.”
In a podcast, Rubin explained that Biden should pardon “thousands” to blunt Trump’s “initial round of revenge” from journalists to the “little guy and gal” counting votes. She advised that he should pardon whole “categories” of people to pardon anyone Trump may have “identified by name or type” to offer “protection from a maniac.”
In her most recent column, Rubin repeated the call for Biden to pardon “scores of Americans” due to a “reasonable fear that a weaponized FBI directed by a vengeful president will carry out threats to pursue his enemies.”
The key is to issue broad pardons to suggest that, absent such extraordinary action, “this maniac” would have purged whole areas of blue states. It is like telling everyone that you are wearing a tin-foil hat to prevent aliens from snatching you. When someone points out that they have not seen any aliens, you can respond, “See, it worked!”
The Biden White House is considering the use of such white-knight pardons to claim that the president did not protect just his son (and himself) with the pardon power but many others.
Biden wants to remove the stain of his abuse of the pardon power to benefit his own family by turning it into a literal party favor for other Democrats and Trump critics. Even though Trump has denied any interest in retribution, saying that “my revenge will be a success,” preemptive pardons leave the impression that they did in fact preempt something that would have occurred.
A white-knight pardon can also work when you are protecting someone who does not want to be saved. That is the case with a Trump pardon. Such a pardon is absolutely not needed and would constitute the most hostile pardon in history. The federal cases against Trump are effectively dead. Even though they were dismissed without prejudice, it is extremely unlikely they would be resumed. Moreover, the cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith were riddled with constitutional problems and unlikely to be sustained even with a conviction.
The only ongoing legal threat to Trump is from Democratic prosecutors on the state level, such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. A pardon would not apply to such cases anyway.
Yet, to pardon Trump for nonexistent federal cases would be to suggest that Biden saved him from prosecution. This is the same president who did nothing for years until the cases collapsed. He would now claim that he worked to bring the nation together after calling Trump a virtual Nazi and his supporters “garbage.”
Trump may be the only one who is not interested in a trophy pardon. What is the value of being part of the resistance if you are not being pursued, persecuted or pardoned?
It seems like some of the same people who had hoped to be on the list for the Biden Inaugural balls are now making calls to make the Biden pardon list. If Biden were to yield to calls for hundreds or even thousands of pardons, the loss of political standing for those not making the list could become intolerable. For any self-respecting armchair resistance fighter in 2025, a Biden pardon could become the latest status symbol.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
This has moved from the comical to the absurd. When they could not win with policy, their track record, the DNC and their propaganda mouthpieces the MSM, only had fear to run on. Now that has failed, or is failing and is going to continue to fail, they have to claim the need for these blanket pardons to save them all from something that IF it does not come to pass, they are going to look even more dumb then they already have. MSM has had a credibility issue for the past eight years as they lied, tried to gaslight Americans and ranted crazy. Without these blanket pardons and Trump does not do what they claimed he would do, they are going to lose even more credibility if that is possible.
Trump has it right. His success will be his revenge.
Lawfare is terrible. Unless I get to do it.
You guys, JT included are disgusting.
The very best outcome from the Trump win is that we don’t need to pay attention anymore to the self-interested California and New York delegations in Congress. The octogenarians who caused California to wield power far beyond any obvious ability, Boxer, Feinstein, Pelosi and Waters have either been taken from power by death or the nation’s electorate. New York’s obnoxious Senate duo, Schumer and Gillibrand, are rendered toothless, and the repulsive Adam Schiff is now to be the powerless “junior” Senator from the wreckage of the Golden State.
As for the House, who will miss the emphasis on the moronic opinions of Nadler, Raskin, and AOC (and her band of ignorant fools)
Thank you very much, President-elect Trump.
* no kidding!
“Despite Trump’s ill-considered statement about how the J6 Committee members should go to jail for what they did on NBC this weekend, Trump has also insisted that he wants “success” to be his revenge.”
Why is it that Democrats like Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff, the J6 committee, etc are never named as making ‘ill-considered statements’? Just Trump? They added some sort of condition as Trump did that saved themselves from being named?
Trump sold pardons. And now, in response to his rhetoric, there is talk of reactive pardons to protect against the dirty goat impulses of a wannabe authoritarian who happens to be the same gigantic b hole he’s always been. Which basically puts the pardon power in the same league as impeachment…, preventative stop gaps that have been widely corrupted by bad faith entities.
Only answer is to remove the DOJ guidelines against prosecuting presidents in office, deep six the SCOTUS immunity judgement, remove the EC and make congressional elections statewide. Time to stop drinking piss warm beer and sweat the magats in their last fifteen years before they die off and become a completely minority voting bloc.
Trump sold pardons? And who bought you to post that here, commie? Mr. Ten Percent Joe Biden, the dirty goat authoritarian who’s been a hate filled racist and corrupt from his first day of taking a bribe as a senator?
Trying to visualize Trump so desperate for cash he spent the money he did to win the presidency in 2016 – so he could sell pardons from the White House.
Nope, doesn’t work, commie. Selling your office in the White House to enrich yourself is pure Clinton, Obama, and Biden.
Doesn’t take visualization to picture trump desperate for cash. It’s why he took it from the Egyptians in ’16, as well as anyone who’d give it to him before or since. He publicly offered to blow the oil lobby this time around for a billy, and why he took 250 million from Musk.
Newsflash, magat…, trump sells everything. I bet you think Boris shaking down cabinet picks is an isolated incident??? The reason why they leaked on him is that he was pocketing some of the take. The kick down always goes to trump & fam.
“Doesn’t take visualization to picture trump desperate for cash. ”
Don’t need to visualize to recognize a desperate unhinged commie deflecting from the decades of Biden corruption. The same commies that were completely unhinged and outraged in 2016 when Trump Desperate For Cash spent $16 Million on his election campaign!
Figures show Trump spent $66 million of his own cash on election campaign
https://www.reuters.com/article/world/figures-show-trump-spent-66-million-of-his-own-cash-on-election-campaign-idUSKBN13Y0B2/
And now you’ve been paid by the Biden White House to try and convince us Trump spent that money so he could sell his office in the White House exactly as Joe Biden did before and after Trump.
We want a better quality liar sent here to amuse us commie. Not the incompetent ones like you from Obama’s failed JV team.
“Doesn’t take visualization to picture trump desperate for cash.”
It takes some awful powerful drugs.
” It’s why he took it from the Egyptians in ’16,”
ROFL … Menedez!
You do know that ACT Blue has been laundering millions from Foreign accounts to democrats ?
There is only one party that is deep in doggy doo doo from foreign sources. Democrats.
“He publicly offered to blow the oil lobby this time around for a billy, and why he took 250 million from Musk.”
Oil company political spending on ALL candidates – not just Trump was only 70M. Over 15B was spent in this election – atleast 10B of that on DEMOCRATS.
The party of Corporate shills is Blue. It is the Pelosi’s and Biden’s and myriads of other Democrats who became multimillionaires from elected “public service”.
Trump is not stupid enough to screw americans with high energy costs.
“Trump sells everything.” Of course he does, he is a capitalist.
What he has NOT sold is “public power”
“I bet you think Boris shaking down cabinet picks is an isolated incident???”
NO, it is something that did not happen. It was tried, it was reported, those people are gone.
“The reason why they leaked on him is that he was pocketing some of the take. The kick down always goes to trump & fam.”
Yes, Trump who makes or looses Billions each day based on swings in DJT stock, wastes lots of time shaking down cabinet picks – most of whom could not afford chump change.
Do you Think that Bondi is paying millions for the AG slot ? Or Hegsoth ? Or Gabbard ?
Viveck and Musk Have Billions – and are taking unpaid jobs, They are too rich to be bought and to rich to need to buy anything.
Sounds good, let’s begin with Biden and the DNC
ATS
You do not matter anymore.
You tried to sell that Swill for the 2024 election – voters did not buy it.
They voted for Trump, and if they could not manage that – they stayed home.
What they did not do is buy you doggy doo doo.
They all want a pardon because they all know they’re guilty as hell of crimes. And since Joe Biden and Merrick Garland have clearly demonstrated just how very easy it is for the federal government to shred the constitution and stomp on the individual rights of innocent U.S. Citizens…
The greatest threat to Americans (of any political party) is “covert non-confrontational blacklisting” – destroying average Americans for legally exercising their constitutional rights.
Covert blacklisting won’t arrest you and won’t round up anyone, leaders of both parties simply punish you covertly. You can’t go to court to challenge this illegal practice.
George W. Bush gets the credit for creating “Cointelpro tactics on steroids” renewing covert abuses of power. Democrats did nothing for more than 20 years to reverse Bush’s covert system.
This is the real danger to every American – covert blacklisting.
Turls, shouldn’t your friend Attorney General Merrick Garland be near the top of those you specifically name of fearing Trump’s alleged retribution? Coordinated lawfare against Trump didn’t happen without those other lawyers first trafficking their indictments through Garland’s office for approval. Trump could name Merrick Garland as the kingpin of a vast left wing RICO conspiracy.
“More importantly, presidents do not just send people to jail.”
But Obama and Biden did exactly that when they sent Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey to lie to FISA courts in hopes of finding something that could excuse sending Trump, General Flynn, etc to jail.
Those two were referred for criminal prosecution by Inspector General Horowitz in his report. You wrote about exactly that June 21, 2018, again in a column in The Hill.
If Biden issues wide ranging pardons (which I don’t believe he will do, although he may issue a few extra pardons to cover up his obviously problematic pardons of his son, brother, himself, Jill and a few other family members) then Trump should immediately pardon his entire Cabinet for any actions taken between 1/202025 and 1/20/2029.
You like apples?
so Basically Democrats are criminals!!!
Biden Pardon
Trump Unpardon
Democrats Ignore laws
why should republicans follow rules?
The J6 Committee destroyed evidence in a too apparent and ill advised effort to protect themselves in a potential investigation. Funny, commit a crime to hide a crime. It’s entirely possible the FBI could renew an investigation and the AG prosecute it based on new evidence. Trump has said it is up to them not him!
“Many predicted they would be on the top of the enemies list and the first to be rounded up.”
That illustrates two aspects of the “victim mentality” (which D’s excel at):
1) Delusional exaggeration, as in: “He didn’t say ‘hi’ to me. See, he’s out to destroy me.”
2) A pathological need for attention and unearned sympathy, achieved by creating “threats” out of whole cloth.
This is beyond laughable, What a colossal load of steaming, stinking, self-serving, transparently self-contradicting horse-sh1t on the part of anyone advocating this. Their entire narrative completely collapses on the answer to a single question: If Trump was intent on being the lawless, Hitleresque, Constitution-ignoring, demagogue that the left has claimed he would become after inauguration, why would he let a mere piece of paper signed by Joe Biden prevent him from acting on his plans to eliminate all of his opponents and detractors? If this is the best strategy that these ridiculous a$$-clowns can concoct to salvage their political clout, they are done to the point of being fork-ready.
Number 6,
Well said. The sad part is there are still people out there who still believe this non-sense. How long or what does it take for some people to wake up to reality?
We know Sloe Joe takes care of family first. Hunter was probably worried ole dad would die and demanded his pardon now. James Biden will be next. If Joe lasts to Jan 20, he will probably pardon all federal crimes committed by anyone “who did any act causing Trump to lose in 2020, including but not limited to cheating in the election, illegal activities associated with the election, and any act that caused the 2020 pandemic, or any conspiracy to do so, directly or indirectly, and anyone who abused to legal system to stop Trump in 2024”. The pardon may not name any person, but will be a blanket pardon.
Trump supporters have been winding down from a state of near rage ever since the election, encouraged that Justice might actually survive. The pressure cooker political environment, overheated by the horrific rhetoric of Leftist stalwarts in politics, entertainment, and especially the media, had a chance to return to a safer, saner state. But now the fire has been reset. Massive pardons will push an already over pressurized environment to a terrifyingly dangerous level. The rage will be unleashed in a manner not experienced in our history. Peril is at our door. Biden may open that door like the madman he seems to have become.
Why would you need a pardon if you have done nothing wrong? These folks must have zero confidence in out criminal justice system, perhaps because of the way it has been weaponized?
Very truly Lefties losing it.
Why would they need a pardon?
Did they commit crimes, or what?
A pardon for Liz Cheney would be nothing more than trolling, because any act she did on the J6 committee was an official act as a member of Congress, and that has full constitutional immunity under the speech and debate clause.
Does that ‘full constitutional immunity under the speech and debate clause’ provide refuge and protection from destroying evidence related to multiple still-ongoing criminal investigations?
Was destruction and concealing evidence pertaining to ongoing criminal investigations and trials an ‘official act’ by members of Congress covered by immunity?
Particularly with investigations and referrals for prosecution that Liz Cheny and the other Pelosi J6’ers were coordinating with Attorney General Merrick Garland and his totalitarian J6 tunnel vision prosecutors?
That’s destruction and concealment of evidence while working in conjunction with the Biden Department of Justice is all protected by the Speech And Debate Clause?
If so, what ISN’T protected by full constitutional immunity?
There is a very old adage which says rats leave sinking ships.
In this case, not only did the rats cause the ship to sink, they want to leave with a statement they cannot be questioned for sinking it.
The cats are about to feast.
Exactly