President Biden is considering blanket preemptive pardons for prominent critics of President-elect Donald Trump in both parties to shield them from possible “retribution” or legal prosecution by the incoming administration.
Multiple people familiar with the ongoing discussions tell CBS News the president has debated with senior White House aides the possibility of issuing the preemptive pardons, but no specific names have been formally recommended to him. The concept of preemptive pardons, and names of people who could benefit from them, have been more rigorously discussed among administration officials expected to help Mr. Biden make final determinations, a group that includes White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients and White House Counsel Ed Siskel.
