FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK, BIDEN — PARDON THEM ALL
Biden can save all of Trump's enemies with a stroke of his pen
RePresident-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is skipping past the boring transition foreplay and jumping right to the act of penetration prosecution.
NBC reports that the transition team is already looking at prosecuting military leaders involved in planning and executing the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. Never mind that then-Pres. Trump signed the treaty agreeing to it.
He ran for president on his intention to prosecute America’s his “enemies.”
Trump said special counsel Jack Smith should be “thrown out of the country.” House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) told Smith to “preserve everything,” hinting that federal prosecutors may be prosecuted.
Other prosecutors may also be in jeopardy. After New York Attorney General Letitia James won a civil fraud case against Trump, who was guilty of civil fraud, Trump hinted he might prosecute her. And by “hinted,” I mean literally said, “She should be prosecuted!”
As Axios reported, Trump selected former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to be his top prosecutor only after a host of other candidates flunked the audition by dwelling on irrelevant issues like the law and Constitution. By contrast, Gaetz promised Trump that if he gets to run the Justice Department, “I’ll go over there and start cuttin’ fuckin’ heads.”
And Trump will have a freer hand to weaponize the Justice Department to his ends. The Supreme Court literally ruled, like stupid people, that if the president commits crimes it’s okay but only if he uses other government offices to do it. Which is why Trump’s attempt to make the Justice Department abet his 2020 election-theft attempt was scrubbed from the now-moot indictment.
Given all these factors — stated intention to prosecute enemies, appointees eager to execute on that intention, legalized abuse of power, plus a Republican Congress that won’t intervene — Pres. Joe Biden needs to take this seriously right now and pre-emptively pardon every last motherfucker who was or might someday be in Trump’s crosshairs.
Smith, yes. Military officials, yes (but only for legal withdrawal stuff, war crime still count). Vice Pres. Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, obviously. Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and anyone interns on up who ever worked on either impeachment or any prosecutions or untold civil suits against Trump.
Those Georgia election workers who now live in Rudy Giuliani’s apartment.
Everyone from E. Jean Carroll to Taylor Swift and throw in Travis Kelce just in case. As good as it might feel to finally jail anyone with the name Cheney, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) should probably get a pardon, too, considering that Trump said, “Elizabeth Lynne Cheney is guilty of treason,” using the three-name style typically reserved for assassins and serial killers.
Assuming that Trump was even envisioning a trial for him, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley would probably appreciate a pardon. After learning that Milley had spoken about Trump with a Chinese general, Trump posted:
“…in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH! A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act. To be continued!!!”
Of course, it’s always possible that Trump didn’t consider due process a prerequisite for “DEATH!” so a pardon might not help.
But pardons should be issued wherever they might thwart these politicized prosecutions. That includes entire companies. Trump has said MSNBC should be investigated for treason. Disney probably did something wrong along the way. John Deere moved some jobs to Mexico, so they’re on the line, for sure. Dominion Voting Systems, gulp.
Pardons are supposed to go through a rigorous process, incorporating input from victims, judges, prosecutors, etc. And the pardon applicant is supposed to first do their time, express remorse, and attempt to atone for their crimes. In this case, aggravated aggravating Donald Trump.
But Trump himself shattered that norm, routinely ignoring the Justice Department. He even overruled his own military commanders to give clemency to a former Navy SEAL, Eddie Gallagher. Accused by his fellow SEALS of murdering a wounded teenage prisoner of war by cutting his throat, and shooting civilians for shits and evil, Gallagher was convicted of … posing with the prisoner’s dead body.
Even that was too much for Trump, who also restored Gallagher’s military standing, again shattering the chain of command. Not to mention all the January 6 convicts and criminal police officers whose convictions Trump is fixing to fix.
So Biden, too, might as well forgo the time-consuming process. In fact, he ought to pardon anyone who might cross Trump in the future. All women, obviously. Registered Democrats. Non-roadkill-eating Kennedys. The list goes on.
Now, is there a possibility that Trump won’t sic America’s his prosecutors on his enemies? That may be the most likely scenario. He didn’t do it first-term around, failing repeatedly to lock her up.
Asked about prosecuting Hunter Biden…who’s already been prosecuted…Trump said he wouldn’t rule it out, saying, “Hunter’s a bad boy, there’s no question about it.” But he added, “I happen to think it’s very bad for our country...I could’ve gotten Hillary Clinton very easily... I could’ve had her put in jail.”
That said, consistency not a Trump strong suit. So, while literal prophylactics still remain legal, legal prophylaxis is probably the best policy.
And if all that’s not enough to convince Biden, it’s worth remembering that Trump has urged prosecution of some of Biden’s closest Democratic allies just for Democratting. There’s former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). And, oh, hey — this oughtta do it! — current President Joseph Robinette Biden.
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Brilliant. But he unlikely won't because he still trusts the system when he shouldn't. So many people act like it's still 2015.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!!!!! THIS. Seems totally appropriate to me and it may be the only “rogue” thing Biden would even contemplate (sigh).
Play by their rules. And use that damn Presidential immunity until smoke pours out of it