John Dean, the former White House counsel who helped bring down President Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal, urged President Joe Biden to go further with his pardons.
Biden on Sunday pardoned son Hunter Biden, who pleaded guilty in June in a firearms case and in September in a tax case.
The president, who had previously vowed not to pardon his son, is facing criticism from both the left and right over the move. But Dean said he didn’t go far enough ― and urged Biden to issue blanket pardons to everyone President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to target when he returns to the White House next month.
That list includes those who have investigated Trump ― including Robert Mueller and Jack Smith and their teams ― as well as “all on Trump’s enemies list.”
Biden should keep going with his pardons: Trump, Jack Smith & team, Mueller & team, and a blanket pardon for all on Trump’s enemies list for any and all political statements before December 25, 2024! Merry Christmas:-). Take the wind out of retribution/revenge!
— John W Dean (@johnwdean.bsky.social)2024-12-02T02:37:58.073Z
Trump has repeatedly talked up revenge and retribution and, over the summer, threatened to jail adversaries he accused of “unscrupulous behavior.”
Some took exception to Dean saying Trump should be among those pardoned. He replied that Trump will never be prosecuted anyway and that Smith’s report will “take care of history.”
He also added that the list of those to receive pardons should include everyone on the Jan. 6 committee, who Trump has said should be jailed, as well as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, the former chair of the joint chiefs of staff who Trump has accused of “treasonous acts,” as well as many others.
Not everyone is on board with the idea, variations of which have been floated by others on social media.
Former federal prosecutor Randall Eliason wrote:
The problem with pardoning Smith and his team is that they have done nothing remotely criminal. Suggesting even the possibility that they have by pardoning them would be a tremendous stain on their honor and reputations. Despite the hell they may be facing, I’d bet they don’t want it.
— Randall Eliason (@rdeliason.bsky.social)2024-12-02T03:20:31.064Z
Dean was once dubbed the “master manipulator” of the Watergate scandal by the FBI before ultimately turning on Nixon, setting the stage for his resignation from the presidency.
