Democrats and corporate media figures were highly critical about pardons being issued preemptively prior to the end of President Donald Trump’s first term. Former President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, members of the Jan. 6 House Select Committee, and members of his family on the last day of his term of office. One prominent critic of the concept of preemptive pardons during Trump’s first term was then-Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who was one of the committee members to whom Biden granted clemency on Monday.
“Have you ever heard of somebody getting a preemptive pardon who was innocent of all crime, who’s just an innocent person? Have you ever heard of that? Just somebody getting a blanket pardon and they’re an innocent person,” MSNBC host Joy Reid asked Schiff in 2020. Schiff responded, “No, it’s the president’s own family. It’s people that have been covering up for the president in addition to his own family.”
Later in the video, when asked by CNN host Wolf Blitzer if accepting the pardons would be viewed as an “admission of guilt,” Schiff answered in the affirmative.
“I certainly would view it that way. I think millions of Americans would view it that way,” Schiff replied at the time. “If there was no belief in criminality, why would he think a pardon was necessary?”
Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann echoed similar sentiments in an appearance with MSNBC host Brian Williams.
“Is there an innocent explanation for someone to seek preemptive pardons for family members? Would you do that if you knew you were innocent and just worried about outside forces?” Williams asked.
“The answer to that is going to be no,” Weissmann responded. “If you haven’t done anything wrong, you sit there and go, what do you need a preemptive pardon for?”
Elie Mystal, a frequent guest on MSNBC, hinted that state and local prosecutors were a backstop against pardons from Trump.
“We have Tish James. We have Xavier Becerra. Mimi Rocah is literally my PA in my town,” Mystal told “Morning Joy” guest host Jason Johnson. “There—there will be opportunities to prosecute these people, regardless if they—if they abuse the pardon power as they are thinking.”
“Hopefully, Elie, there will be a skyfall on this entire crime family, and there will be another day for them to die,” Johnson said.
During his last term, Trump considered preemptively pardoning his children as well as former Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York City in the wake of his efforts to contest the 2020 election.
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00:00Have you ever heard of somebody getting a preemptive pardon who was innocent of all crime?
00:06Who's just an innocent person?
00:07Have you ever heard of that?
00:08Just somebody getting a blanket pardon and they're an innocent person?
00:11But no, it's the president's own family.
00:15It's people that have been covering up for the president in addition to his own family.
00:20Is there an innocent explanation for someone to seek preemptive pardons for family members?
00:28Would you do that if you knew you were innocent and just worried about outside forces?
00:37The answer to that is going to be no.
00:40If you haven't done anything wrong, you sit there and go, what do you need a preemptive pardon for?
00:45If he pardons people preemptively, he's essentially telling the public that these people have committed crimes.
00:52And we may not be aware of what they are, but the pardon is clear evidence that crimes have been committed.
00:59I imagine if he decides to issue these preemptive pardons, it will be cast in a way that he is protecting his family and protecting their reputations from, you know, villainous exterior forces that are against him.
01:11First off, we should just take a deep breath and acknowledge the audacity of a president who's so clearly concerned about his own criminal culpability and that of his family members that pardons are a major obsession with him.
01:27The idea of a kind of prospective pardon, this sort of permanent federal get-out-of-jail-free card, that seems to be what we're talking about in the case of this, right?
01:36With Giuliani and his three eldest children who, as far as we know, have not been convicted of a crime.
01:42Maybe they've committed a lot and they don't want to face action.
01:45I don't know. It's weird.
01:47I wouldn't ask for a pardon.
01:48I don't think I deserve one because I don't think I've done anything criminal.
01:52But, like, where does that come from, that concept that you can just kind of wave your magic pardon wand?
01:57We have Tish James. We have Xavier Prezera.
01:59Mimi Roca is literally my DA in my town.
02:03There will be opportunities to prosecute these people regardless if they abuse the pardon power as they are thinking.
02:11Hopefully, Ellie, there will be a skyfall on this entire crime family and there will be another day for them to die.
02:17The president does indeed pardon, let's say, Rudy Giuliani or any members of his family.
02:23Would you see that, and I asked Pete Ferrara this question, as essentially an admission of guilt?
02:30I certainly would view it that way.
02:32I think millions of Americans would view it that way.
02:34If there was no belief in criminality, why would he think a pardon was necessary?
02:39CNN has learned President Biden will pardon his son Hunter Biden.
02:47The president's father Biden will pardon his son Hunter Biden.
