Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) made it clear that he was not in favor of President Joe Biden issuing “preemptive” pardons for members of the January 6th Committee and other critics of Donald Trump out of fear that the president-elect could seek retribution once he takes office. Some in the White House have floated the possibility that Biden could issue pardons to committee members like former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) before he left office, thus insulating them from any potential charges stemming from their work on that committee. They also suggested similar pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who is now a senator-elect. But despite the fact that Blumenthal is among the Democrats insisting that Trump’s new administration will “weaponize” the justice system against his political opponents, he told CNN anchor Jim Acosta that he would oppose blanket pardons for those who might be at risk. “I strongly oppose preemptive pardons. First of all, it’s in some ways going to be perceived as an implicit acknowledgment of guilt,” Blumenthal explained, referencing his own past as a prosecutor. “And people should know that walking into a courtroom and making charges is far from proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. There is no evidence of wrongdoing against those members of the January 6 committees who brought those impeachment articles or who prosecuted them. And the likely beneficiaries of preemptive pardons would be the top echelon, and the underlings would still have the fear of that kind of prosecution.” CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Blumenthal went on to explain that he would prefer to simply allow the criminal justice system to do its work, adding, “I think any such unfounded, unjust charges against people who simply did their jobs would ultimately cause a backlash against Donald Trump because there will be acquittals and the costs of their defense or investigation, I think, should be borne by a defense fund — I’d certainly contribute — or by a pro bono legal team, I sign up, count me in, because I think they are on the right side. And we ought to make these cases a test case for the principle of justice.” Blumenthal shared a similar statement via X, saying, “Broad blanket preemptive pardons are a bad idea. Fully recognizing that DOJ & other federal law enforcement may be weaponized for retribution or intimidation, the way to stop a bully is to confront him, not run & hide.” Broad blanket preemptive pardons are a bad idea. Fully recognizing that DOJ & other federal law enforcement may be weaponized for retribution or intimidation, the way to stop a bully is to confront him, not run & hide. https://t.co/Nyu4DfJCfb — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) December 8, 2024