A Pardon for Trump? Not From Joe Biden

Former VP says he wouldn't try to stop any potential investigation into Trump after he leaves office
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted May 15, 2020 6:15 AM CDT
A Pardon for Trump? Not From Joe Biden
In this combination of file photos, Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Del., on March 12, 2020, left, and President Trump speaks at the White House in Washington on April 5, 2020.   (AP Photo, File)

When Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, it was seen as a way for the United States to heal and move on from Watergate. So, if Joe Biden became president and Donald Trump faced any charges, would he do the same? That would be a no, as would any attempt to halt any potential investigations into Trump, the former vice president told MSNBC on Thursday. "It is not something the president is entitled to do, to direct a prosecution or decide to drop a case," Biden said on Lawrence O'Donnell's The Last Word, per the AP. "It's a dereliction of duty." He also referenced Bill Barr and his role in the Justice Department, noting that "the attorney general is not the president's lawyer. It's the people's lawyer," per NBC News. "We never saw anything like the prostitution of that office like we see it today."

The Inquisitr notes that legal experts believe Trump could face charges when he leaves office, possibly based on the campaign finance brouhaha surrounding his former personal attorney Michael Cohen, or on pending lawsuits against him. Biden also told O'Donnell that he wasn't involved in any "Obamagate," a supposed conspiracy by the Obama administration to entrap former national security adviser Michael Flynn. "I was never a part or had any knowledge of any criminal investigation into Flynn while I was in office, period," Biden said, per NBC. "Not one single time." O'Donnell also brought up the sexual assault allegations against Biden by Tara Reade, and although Biden once more denied them, he said people needed to "vote their heart." "If they believe Tara Reade they probably shouldn't vote for me," he said. "I wouldn't vote for me if I believed Tara Reade." (More Joe Biden stories.)

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