Josh Reynolds, Associated Press filePolitical strategist David Axelrod speaks to reporters as he arrives for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award ceremony, May 22, 2022, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
Democratic strategist David Axelrod said Tuesday former President Biden gave “a gift” to President Trump by pardoning his family minutes before the latter’s inauguration.
Calling the move “egregious,” Axelrod said Biden should not have done it at the end of his presidency.
“Man up, and if you’re gonna do it, do it, but don’t do it literally as you have one foot out the door so you don’t have to explain it or be accountable for it,” he said on his Hacks on Tap podcast.
Biden pardoned a handful of family members just minutes before the end of his presidency on Monday, sparking pushback from Republics and Democrats alike. Trump criticized the last minute pardons, saying the move made Biden look “very guilty.”
After Biden’s Monday pardons, Trump also issued a blizzard of pardons, most notably for over 1,000 Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters. Axelrod said Biden’s move ultimately blurred the events of Jan. 6 for Trump.
“What they did was they gave Trump a gift because it fuzzied up the story, the J6 story for him,” the former Obama administration official said about Biden’s pardons.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement that Biden’s pardons were “a confession” of the Biden family’s corruption. Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) questioned the extent of Biden’s pardons and whether they were necessary.
“It’s probably time for us to take a look at the way the pardon system is being used,” he added.
Murphy is not the only Democrat calling for reform after the flurry of presidential pardons earlier this week. House Democrats are now making calls for Congress to rein in the pardon powers of the president.
Tags Biden pardons Biden presidency Chris Murphy David Axelrod Donald Trump Hunter Biden James Comer January 6 pardons Joe Biden Trump pardons
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