In the final minutes of his presidency, Joe Biden pre-emptively pardoned several family members, including his brothers James, Francis and Frank Biden, and sister Valerie Biden Owens.
Biden said the pardons were intended to shield his family from politically motivated attacks and should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment of any wrongdoing.
I would like to see someone challenge preemptive and blanket pardons. It doesn’t seem Constitutional to pardon people for unnamed crimes for which they have not been charged.
If I were Trump, my first EO would have been an exact copy of that last Biden order with the Trump family swapped in. Do it while the ink is still wet on the Biden order. If he can do it, and the Left is ok with it, then Trump can do it too and the Left have to swallow much harder and immediately after kissing boots.
I have a couple of problems with that one. First, the Slytherin in me notices that pardons are for all past crimes so he should wait until he knows who else to pardon at the end of his term if he is just accepting the power as good.
Second, Trump’s first order should be to call that precedent out, not abuse it further. Blanket pardons have never been issued near this scale and pre-emptive pardons on almost any scale is virtually unprecedented. This is very arguably an overreach that should not be accepted simply because Biden was President, the precedent should be challenged and over ruled.