Neutering the Dog

What Preemptive Pardons Have Done to the President-Elect

Today is inauguration day. Today, I awoke to the announcement that President Biden did indeed, as I’d hoped, issue preemptive pardons to Anthony Fauci, Liz Cheney, Mark Milley, and a list of others that Trump had listed on his “target list” of people he believes had wronged him, and by extension the country, and who therefore deserve investigation and prosecution (in his view, if not others’).

Biden issued the pardons to prevent what he called “unjustified… politically motivated prosecutions” and he had pretty good reason to think those prosecutions were coming. If not right away, then soon. Or in a year, or two, or three.

Trump had frequent clashes with Fauci, calling him a “disaster,” and saying, “people are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots — these people, these people that have gotten it wrong.”

Trump similarly clashed with General Mark Milley, who just a year ago described Trump as “fascist to the core.” Trump has suggested that Milley should be court martialed. Milley had at one point expressed concern about Trump’s mental decline but later determined that it was not decline, but rather that Trump was intentional in his behaviors. Milley fears being recalled to uniform and prosecuted for having spoken out against the former and…