During a press interaction, Vice President Joe Biden was asked about the possibility of pardoning former President Donald Trump, who is currently facing federal investigations and ongoing legal issues. The question arose after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential GOP contender, mentioned considering a pardon for Trump if elected president. Fox News reporter Peter Doocy raised the topic as Biden boarded Marine One en route to Delaware.
In response, Biden smiled and waved off the question, saying, “I’ll see you guys,” but later described it as “a great question.”
Both Trump’s alleged involvement in the Capitol disturbance of 2021 and his alleged concealment of sensitive materials at Mar-a-Lago are subjects of investigation by a federal special counsel.
DeSantis, Trump’s main rival for the GOP nomination in 2024, pledged to evaluate pardoning the former president if he were convicted of a federal crime in relation to the events on January 6. In an interview on the “Clay and Buck” radio show, DeSantis expressed his intention to form a team to review cases of individuals who were victims of political targeting or weaponization, indicating that pardons would be aggressively pursued.
During the conversation, co-host Clay Travis questioned whether this review would include Trump himself, considering the potential federal charges that could be filed. DeSantis responded by stating that any instance of unfair treatment based on politics or weaponization, regardless of its scale, would be included in the review.
However, even if Trump were to receive a presidential pardon, he would still face legal challenges in New York and Georgia. In Manhattan, New York, District Attorney Alvin Bragg recently filed 34 felony counts of commercial fraud against Trump, all relating to alleged hush money payments made prior to the 2016 election. Additionally, Trump is under investigation in Georgia for alleged attempts to overturn President Biden’s victory in the state during the 2020 election.