Biden says in USA Today interview that he has not yet made decision about issuing preemptive pardons

President Joe Biden said he had not made a decision about issuing preemptive pardons before leaving office, leaving the door open to an unprecedented move to protect some of his allies as he warned President-elect Donald Trump against trying to “settle scores.”

CNN has previously reported senior Biden White House aides, administration officials and prominent defense attorneys in Washington, DC, are discussing potential preemptive pardons or legal aid for people who might be targeted for prosecution by Trump after he retakes power, according to multiple sources.

In an interview with USA Today’s Susan Page published Wednesday, Biden confirmed that he was open to the idea but a decision had not been made.

Asked by Page whether he would issue preemptive pardons to people like former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden said, “Well, a little bit of it depends on who he puts in what positions. If in fact, he,” before trailing off.

Biden said he “was very straightforward with Trump” and told him during their Oval Office meeting shortly after the president-elect’s November victory that “there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores.”

Biden suggested that Trump did not offer a response one way or the other.

Pressed by Page on whether a decision had been made during the Sunday interview, Biden said, “No, I have not.”

The president also defended his decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, amid questions about the precedent the move sets for his successors.

“I meant what I said when I was asked whether I was going to pardon my son,” Biden told Page, referring to previous public comments that he would not do so.

Hunter Biden was granted clemency last month for the tax and gun offenses from his existing cases, plus any potential federal crimes that he may have committed “from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024,” according to the pardon.

President Biden said he was convinced to proceed with the pardon because of two factors: that his son “had paid all his taxes,” though he paid them late, and that “no one’s ever been tried” on the question of a document that is meant to prevent drug addicts from obtaining firearms that had led to his conviction.