Trump says he respects presidential pardon power after Fauci hearing
President Donald Trump expressed respect for the presidential pardon power, commenting on Joe Biden’s preemptive pardon of Dr. Anthony Fauci. This statement followed Fauci’s recent appearance before Congress, during which he invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times despite accepting Biden’s pardon. Trump acknowledged Fauci’s legal stance and noted that he has not always been a supporter of Fauci, criticizing his COVID-19 policies. The congressional hearing was prompted by the release of Fauci’s personal diary entries by Senator Rand Paul, which have led to discussions about holding Fauci in contempt for refusing to testify further. Trump emphasized the importance of the pardon power and highlighted the political tensions surrounding Fauci and recent U.S. COVID-19 management and government openness issues.
President Donald Trump said he respects the pardon power, even if it is former President Joe Biden‘s preemptive pardon of Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Trump’s admission came hours after Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Biden’s chief medical adviser, took the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during an appearance before Congress on Wednesday, despite accepting Biden’s pardon.
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“The most powerful thing a president has, they say, is the power of pardon,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “So he was pardoned by Biden, and I respect that. I know how powerful it is.”
Trump, who has criticized Fauci for his at times heavy-handed and inconsistent COVID-19 public health policies after the physician became a political lightning rod during the pandemic, added he had “never been a big fan” of Fauci but noted the doctor pleaded the Fifth before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the direction of his attorney.
“I don’t know if he would have been better off not doing it,” he said. “There were a lot of questions that I guess he could have answered, and some maybe he didn’t feel comfortable in answering.”
FAUCI’S FIFTH AMENDMENT ANSWERS MAY TEST BIDEN PARDON AS GOP EYES CONTEMPT
Fauci’s congressional appearance on Wednesday was precipitated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. identifying 1,100 pages of Fauci’s personal diary entries from December 2019 to December 2022 on HHS computer servers before sharing them with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who then made them public.
Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, told reporters on Wednesday his panel would vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress for declining to provide testimony to lawmakers.
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