Schiff doesn't want to set 'precedent' with Jan. 6 pardon

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Monday he doesn't want President Biden to set a "precedent" by issuing a preemptive pardon to himself and others related to the work they did on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"It would be the wrong precedent to set. I don't want to see each president hereafter on their way out the door giving out a broad category of pardons," Schiff said in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash.

Pressed on the potential for a more targeted pardon, Schiff responded, “Well, and here I'm just speaking for myself, those of us that were on the Jan. 6 committee who [President-elect Trump] has put in the crosshairs, we're all enormously proud of the work that we did."

“We stand by it. We feel we have the protection of the Speech and Debate Clause. So, I — my own feeling is, let's just avoid this kinda broad precedent,” he added.

Schiff stopped short of saying he would say "no" to such a pardon if offered, saying of Biden, "I'm urging that he not go down that road."

In a sit-down interview that aired last month, Trump suggested to NBC News’s Kristen Welker that he would not specifically order those he’s appointing to top administration positions to go after his political enemies, but referenced jailing members on the Jan. 6 committee.

Some Democrats have suggested Biden should preemptively pardon individuals who may be targeted by Trump and his administration before Biden leaves office later this month.

“We're back in this conundrum again, where a Democratic president can do things for a very good reason, a laudable reason, a legitimate reason — in this case, that people are being threatened improperly by an incoming president — but then that precedent can be abused,” Schiff said in his Monday CNN appearance.

Trump has also promised to grant clemency to rioters who showed up at the Capitol on Jan. 6 four years ago. The president-elect has signaled that some pardons could be issued in the first few hours of his second term.

On Monday, Congress certified Trump’s 2024 electoral victory, officially securing his win over Vice President Harris two weeks out from his inauguration with no objections from lawmakers in the chamber.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and the Trump transition team for comment.

Topics

Kinzinger says he doesn't want pardon to shield against possible Trump retaliation

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) says he does not want a preemptive pardon from President Biden to shield him from possible retaliation by President-elect Trump for his participation on the ...
The Hill - 12h
Schumer marks Jan. 6, condemns potential Trump pardons of Capitol rioters

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on Monday marked the four-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol and condemned the prospective pardons of the rioters who ...
The Hill - 1d
Schumer: 'Utterly outrageous' Trump is considering pardons for Jan. 6 rioters

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke on the Senate floor before Congress meets to certify President-elect Trump's election victory. Schumer reflected on the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and called ...
NBC News - 1d
Trump promises pardons for Jan. 6 Capitol rioters

President-elect Donald Trump has promised pardons for those who stormed the Capitol four years ago to try to disrupt the certification of President Biden's election win. CBS News political ...
CBS News - 1d
Congress set to officially certify 2024 election results as Jan. 6 pardons loom

On Monday, lawmakers will certify the results of the 2024 election. It was on this day four years ago that now President-elect Donald Trump delivered a speech denying his 2020 defeat, which was ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump's plans to pardon Jan. 6 defendants remain largely a mystery

WASHINGTON — Four years after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S.
NBC News - 1d
Thune says Jan. 6 pardons are decision Trump will have to make

New Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said it’s President-elect Trump’s decision to pardon Jan. 6 rioters. Thune joined NBC News’s “Meet the Press” for an interview that aired Sunday, ...
The Hill - 2d
Schiff: Trump’s proposed January 6 pardons would 'send a terrible message about our democracy'

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joins Meet the Press to talk about the anniversary of January 6 and President-elect Trump’s plans to pardon those involved with the attack, calling it “the wrong way to ...
NBC News - 2d
Lawmakers brace for Trump's promised Jan. 6 pardons. Some are urging restraint

The fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has a new focus as lawmakers brace for the prospect that Donald Trump may soon pardon many of the more than 1,500 people charged with ...
ABC News - 2d