Letter: For strategic reasons, Biden should get into the self-pardon game
FILE — President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden during their first presidential debate in Cleveland, pictured on a television screen during the live broadcast in New York, Sept. 29, 2020. (Damon Winter/The New York Times)
Former President Donald Trump is said to have considered pardoning himself before he left office in 2021 and may be considering a pardon if he is elected in 2024.
It was recently reported that he has received a letter from the Department of Justice that he is a target in the Jan. 6 case.
I would suggest that President Joe Biden pardon himself for crimes committed before and after becoming president in 2021. I don’t think that he has committed any crimes but doing a pardon would test whether it is constitutional to pardon oneself and, if it is, would protect him from retribution by a potential President Trump in 2024.
This would put Biden’s opponents in a position that if they complain or try to block the pardon, it would apply to Trump as well.
Gary Oderda, Holladay
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