Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said on Monday that the last-minute pardons issued by former President Joe Biden to several current and former public and federal officials are admissions of “illegal” and “unethical” behavior from Democrats.
After the former president pardoned retired General Mark Milley, former NIH head Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the members of the defunct House January 6 committee, Blackburn said during an appearance on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” that the pardons are proof of bad behavior from the last administration.
“They know that they did things that were unlawful and certainly unethical, and President Biden knows this,” said Blackburn. “As information comes out, [Biden] wants to be able to say that he gave them a pardon, and it is basically for them to be held unaccountable for what they did with the committee, with COVID, and I’m not surprised by this at all.”
In a clip of the interview posted to the social media platform X, Blackburn told the network, “This is a president who has worked overtime trying to make illegal legal, so it would suit his agenda, which is America last.”
Biden just proved to be ‘America-last’: Senator rips apart preemptive pardons
Senator Marsha Blackburn, in an interview, suggested these pardons were an attempt to prevent accountability for potentially unlawful or unethical actions related to the committee and the COVID-19… pic.twitter.com/wPNUyqe9mA— Camus (@newstart_2024) January 20, 2025
Asked whether the U.S. Constitution allowed the pardons, the Tennessee Republican said the former president’s actions are in uncharted territory.
“I’m sure there will be discussion about that,” said Blackburn, before noting, “The president has the right to issue pardons,” but “no one has ever issued preemptive pardons.”
She told the network, “But he did that with Hunter. He has done that now with people that testified against President Trump.”
“Here’s what Joe Biden is missing: On November 5, the American people sent a message that they wanted to see action. They wanted change. They want the borders secure, they want inflation dealt with, they want the economy to be strong, they want us to return to our standing in the world. That is what Donald Trump is going to deliver.”
Blackburn made the remarks before Joe Biden issued additional pardons to his immediate family members, including his brother James Biden, who referred to himself as a business partner of the former president’s son, Hunter Biden, in the text messages recovered from Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop.
The outgoing president also issued last-minute pardons to James Biden’s wife, as well as the former president’s younger sister, his brother-in-law, and his younger brother Francis Biden.
Blackburn’s remarks about the pardons came shortly after the senator confirmed she is “strongly considering” launching a gubernatorial campaign in 2026, as Governor Bill Lee is set to finish his second and final term in office next year.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Hunter and Joe Biden” by Louise Palanker. CC BY-SA 2.0.
