Preemptive Pardons and Hypocrisy
“The 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?” said MSNBC Chris Hayes. “I wouldn’t ask for a pardon. I don’t think I deserve one because I don’t think I’ve done anything criminal. But like, where does that come from? That concept you can just kind of wave your magic pardon wand?” he continued.
“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’s Joy Reid asked Congressman Adam Schiff. “No,” Schiff responded. “It’s the president’s own family. It’s people that have been covering up for the President, in addition to his own family.”
In another interview CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Schiff, “Would you see that. . . as essentially an admission of guilt?” “I certainly would view it that way,” Schiff told Blitzer. “I think millions of Americans would view it that way. If there was no belief in criminality, why would he think a pardon was necessary?” As reported by Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Kristine Parks of Fox News, these statements were made in 2020 after a December 1, New York Times headline “Trump Has Discussed With Advisers Pardons for His 3 Eldest Children and Giuliani.” The rumor turned out to be false.