Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:01 pm
Joe Biden wouldn’t pardon Donald Trump for any crimes relating to his presidency. The presumptive Democratic nominee has dismissed the idea out of hand.
The former Vice President spoke to NBC News on Thursday. Asked about pardoning Trump in the same way former President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, Biden was firm a “no”.
Biden committed to letting the law take its course.
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“Absolutely, yes, I commit,” he said.
“It’s hands-off completely. Look, the attorney general of the United States is not the president’s lawyer, it’s the people’s lawyer.”
“It’s not something the president is entitled to do, to direct either a prosecution or decide to drop a case,” he said.
“That is not the president’s role or responsibility and it’s a dereliction of his duty.”
He also took aim at the current Justice Department. Attorney General William Barr has faced much criticism for his decision to drop the case against Michael Flynn.
Biden said refusing to pardon Trump would show how different his DOJ would be. He pointed out that the current state of Justice was unprecedented in his experience.
“We never saw anything like the prostitution of that office like we see it today,” Biden said.
Though he didn’t cite any specific crimes that President Trump might be guilty of, there’s been serious speculation that failing to win reelection will open the President to possible charges.
Ford pardoned Nixon in 1974 in an effort to heal the country. However, both men were Republicans and Ford was Nixon’s vice president. Pardoning a president from another party is without precedent.
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
