Senator Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) suggested Monday during an interview with CNN that President Joe Biden should consider pardoning President-elect Donald Trump.
The statement comes shortly after Biden announced a full pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, sparking significant political and public debate.
“What I would have done differently, and my recommendation as a counsel woulda been, ‘Why don’t you go ahead and pardon Donald Trump, for all his charges?’” Manchin told CNN’s Manu Raju while discussing Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter.
Biden, in a Sunday statement announcing the pardon, defended his son against what he characterized as politically motivated charges. Hunter Biden faced three felony charges related to the purchase and possession of a firearm in 2018.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” Biden said.
The president went on to highlight the toll the investigations had taken on both Hunter and himself, saying, “There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.
In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”
Manchin expressed sympathy for Biden’s decision to pardon his son, acknowledging the deep personal connection. “I don’t know of a father that wouldn’t have done the same thing,” he remarked.
However, Manchin’s suggestion that Biden extend similar clemency to Trump has added a new layer to the political conversation. Trump has faced numerous legal challenges in recent years, including two federal cases surrounding classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
While Trump has often criticized these investigations as politically motivated, Special Counsel Jack Smith recently moved to dismiss both federal cases, citing the Department of Justice’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Trump reacted strongly to Hunter Biden’s pardon on Truth Social, accusing Biden of hypocrisy and abuse of power.
“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump wrote, referring to individuals convicted in connection to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Trump also used the opportunity to criticize Democrats’ ongoing legal actions against him, claiming they were a waste of taxpayer money.
“Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party’s fight against their Political Opponent, ME. Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform last week.
Manchin’s call for a pardon for Trump adds complexity to the situation, raising questions about political reconciliation and the role of presidential pardons in bridging divides.
Whether Biden would consider such a move remains uncertain, but the idea is likely to spark further debate as the political landscape continues to evolve.
