Jan. 6 committee members are privately talking to Biden about pardons

14 January

Several top members of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack are reportedly in talks with President Joe Biden about preemptive pardons before he leaves office on January 20.

That's according to a Tuesday report from Punchbowl News, which noted that both committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who was vice chair, are the most likely candidates for a pardon given their high-profile roles. Thompson hadn't spoken directly with Biden, but indicated he would accept a pardon from the lame-duck president.

"I believe Donald Trump when he says he’s going to inflict retribution on this,” the Mississippi Democrat told Punchbowl. “I believe when he says my name and Liz Cheney and the others. I believe him.”

Talk of preemptive pardons has been building since the November election, with Punchbowl reporting that Democrats on the January 6th committee had a call about the implications of Trump's victory. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) also joined the call, and committee members discussed whether legal protections were necessary given the president-elect's promises to prosecute his political opponents.

Thompson suggested the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution, which protects members of Congress from being punished by the executive branch over their duties within the legislative branch, may be sufficient protection from anything Trump tried to do to committee members. Other members also wondered if accepting a preemptive pardon would be interpreted as an admission of wrongdoing, and whether accepting one would undermine their work.

Committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who was an outspoken Trump critic in the wake of the January 6 attack, expressed concern that Trump would come after her once he's officially sworn in as president. But one source close to the congresswoman told Punchbowl that she firmly believes her work on the committee was entirely lawful.

"There is nothing to be pardoned for," a spokesperson for Lofgren said.

Click here to read Punchbowl's full report.

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