Staff ReportsFormer President Joe Biden has been making headlines recently for his decision to bestow pardons upon family members and a selection of high-profile Democrats as he closed out his term. While this act may have shielded some from facing consequences for their actions, a glaring oversight seems to loom large over Biden’s presidential legacy: he didn’t include himself in the list of pardonees. This small but significant detail might just come back to haunt him.
Donald Trump pointed out this oversight during a recent interview, questioning why Biden, who seemed eager to pardon everyone else in his orbit, left himself vulnerable. It’s like securing a vault and forgetting to lock the front door. Trump couldn’t resist the opportunity to point out the irony of Biden handing out pardons while choosing to leave his own legal backside exposed. If anyone should have been first in line at the pardon party, it would be the man who left the Oval Office with everything from allegations of whispered exchanges to shady dealings on the table.
"In his last days, Biden went around giving everybody pardons but funny thing or sad thing for him is he forgot to pardon himself"
– Trump
🤣🤣🤣pic.twitter.com/D2NSVjyOsY— STAR Boy TARUN (@Starboy2079) January 24, 2025
The former president went on to reminisce about his own tumultuous four years, characterized by what he described as unjust persecution. He articulated a not-so-subtle jab at Biden, suggesting that the current president might soon experience a taste of the legal hardship that Trump himself had to endure. Trump aptly noted that while he spent years in the trenches combating legal challenges, he emerged victorious. Surely, he implied, it seems only fitting that those who now enjoy the benefit of Biden’s pardons might also have to pass through the legal gauntlet themselves.
Humorously enough, Trump’s reflections on his former administration’s legal battles included a mention of his supporters, such as Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, who ended up behind bars after being cited for contempt of Congress. It raises a question about the fairness of the legal system when those who stood by Trump during his presidency are now facing the music, while others simply get a simple “you’re good, carry on” from Biden. “They suffered,” Trump remarked, as if reading a tragic play starring the cast of his administration versus the supportive hand of the Democratic helm.
Adding to the intrigue, some legal experts, like podcast host Megyn Kelly, have weighed in on the potential Fifth Amendment pitfalls of this blanket pardon approach. The argument goes that anyone receiving a pardon can’t easily sidestep inquiries about their actions, as the veil of self-incrimination can be lifted. Observers have pointed out that this creates an interesting dynamic for figures like General Mark Milley and Dr. Anthony Fauci, who now find themselves unable to invoke the old, reliable “I plead the Fifth” defense. Texas Republican Representative Chip Roy chimed in as well, suggesting that this could bring a whole new wave of questioning in Congress, especially regarding Biden’s own family ties.
With House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer already eyeing Hunter Biden’s pardon like a hawk, the ramifications of this poorly timed decision may just be beginning to unfold. Biden may have thought he was securing peace for his inner circle, but now, he could be staring down a series of inquiries that could have been avoided. If Biden doesn’t watch his back, he might soon find out that the surface of his pardoning spree has far more underneath than he anticipates.
