Bernie Sanders urges Joe Biden to issue preemptive pardons for those Donald Trump might target in second term

President Joe Biden should consider pre-emptive pardons for people Donald Trump could target once he returns to the White House, Senator Bernie Sanders insists.

Speaking to NBC News on Sunday, the independent senator from Vermont was critical of Biden’s “dangerous” pardon of his son Hunter.

However, he believes more pardons are needed before Biden leaves office next month.

Earlier this month, Biden announced his decision to pardon his 54-year-old son, despite saying for years he would not take that action.

Sanders did not mention any specific names in his interview on Sunday, but he did suggest that the nine-member Jan. 6 House Select Committee should be on the receiving end of any possible pardon requests from the president.

“We know the White House is considering possible preemptive pardons for those who have clashed with President-elect Trump,” said Meet the Press host Kristen Welker.

“In light of what the President-elect said to me, yes, he believes members of the January 6 Commission should go to jail. Do you think Mr. Biden should issue a preemptive pardon to the entire January 6 Commission?”

“Well, I think he might want to think about that very seriously,” the senator replied.

“Look, that’s an outrageous statement,” Sanders added.

“This is what authoritarianism is all about. That’s what dictatorship is all about. You don’t arrest elected officials who disagree with you, who investigate.”

“I don’t think Trump’s idea will go very far,” he predicted. “It’s so – quite scandalous.”

Biden’s decision to pardon his son, just over two months before the end of his only term in office, was heavily criticized by Democrats and Republicans.

Some members of the president’s own party say the pardon was hypocritical and self-serving and worry it could lead to adverse actions by the new administration.

And many believe this leaves the door wide open for Trump to issue more generous pardons in this turn of events — including for his own children.

Shortly after Biden posted about Hunter’s pardon, Trump suggested he would make it a Day One act to pardon those who were prosecuted and jailed for their involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

Sanders also said President Biden set a “dangerous” precedent by pardoning his son Hunter

Sanders said on Sunday that it could have consequences, but was sympathetic to Biden’s decision.

“If his opponents are going after his family, as a father, as a parent, I think we can all understand that Biden is trying to protect his son and his family,” Sanders said in his interview.

“On the other hand, I think the precedent that is being set is quite dangerous,” he added. “It was a very public pardon that could, under a variety of circumstances, create problems for future presidents.”

He would not say whether the pardon would tarnish the legacy of Biden’s one-time presidency.