Staff Reports
President Joe Biden recently granted pardons to 11 individuals and reduced the sentences of five others to address racial disparities in the justice system. This move by the President comes under scrutiny, with some questioning his motives in light of potential clemency for former President Donald Trump.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney suggested that President Biden should have immediately pardoned Trump when faced with indictments, arguing that it would have positioned Biden as the ‘big guy’ and Trump as the ‘little guy.’ However, columnist Kimball Shinkoskey criticized this idea, pointing out differences between Trump and former President Richard Nixon, whom President Ford pardoned.
“I'd have pardoned President Trump. … Because it makes me … the big guy, and the person I pardoned, the little guy.”
— Sen. Mitt Romney says President Biden should have pardoned Donald Trump when the Justice Department indicted him pic.twitter.com/4oNZhhp6F1
— The Recount (@therecount) May 16, 2024
Shinkoskey argued that Nixon showed remorse, unlike Trump, and that pardoning Trump could set a dangerous precedent for future leaders seeking authoritarian power. The columnist also stated that voters deserved transparency regarding the moral character of candidates, suggesting that a trial for Trump would serve this purpose.
Interestingly, a poll revealed that a majority of Americans believed that charges against Trump for mishandling classified documents were politically motivated. This demonstrates a lack of trust in the justice system and raises questions about the fairness of legal proceedings against public figures.
