SC’s Clyburn suggests a Trump pardon by Biden would ‘clean the slate’ for the country
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Santee, and close confidante of President Joe Biden, suggested Saturday the outgoing president pardon the incoming president.
Clyburn said a pardon of President-elect Donald Trump would be a way of “cleaning the slate” for the country.
Biden also has considered issuing preemptive pardons for people such as U.S. Sen.-elect Adam Schiff and former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney who were members of the Jan. 6 committee, and Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who called for restrictions during the COVID pandemic. All three people reportedly could be targets of the next Trump administration.
“If we keep digging at things in the past, I’m not too sure the country will not lose its way,” Clyburn told MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart.
Clyburn advised Biden to pardon his son, Hunter, a decision which was announced during the Thanksgiving weekend and irked conservatives.
“I said to him, you’re a dad you have a son that is targeted, everyone knows that,” Clyburn said. “You have an obligation to protect your son from what could become an eventuality, if all of these people were to keep their promises to fulfill their threats to go after people.”
Clyburn said Biden was reticent to make the move for Hunter Biden.
Trump faced charges in federal court, one on keeping classified documents at Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, and one for involvement in trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has dropped those cases before they could go to trial citing Department of Justice policy not prosecuting a sitting president.
A presidential pardon would only apply to federal cases.
Trump has been convicted in a New York state court for payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to hide a sexual encounter. Trump has denied the encounter. Trump also faces charges in Georgia for trying to overturn the 2020 election results.
Trump in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press said he would not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden. But Trump’s political opponents have feared he would exact revenge once back in office. Trump has nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for attorney general, and former federal prosecutor Kash Patel for FBI director. Both are Trump loyalists.
Biden and Clyburn have been long confidantes and allies. Clyburn endorsed Biden’s 2020 campaign the week before the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary. Biden, who had lost the first three nominating contests, won South Carolina propelling him to the nomination and the White House. Clyburn got Biden to commit to appointing a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court and served as a surrogate for the administration.
Biden also awarded Clyburn with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 3:23 PM with the headline "SC’s Clyburn suggests a Trump pardon by Biden would ‘clean the slate’ for the country."
