Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) endorsed Sen. Joe Manchin‘s (I-WV) suggestion that President Joe Biden offer President-elect Donald Trump a pardon next.
During a CNN interview Tuesday, Clyburn said he would “absolutely” support Biden if he moved to pardon Trump for federal crimes he has been accused of committing.
“Yes, I could, absolutely, because the Supreme Court has pretty much made it very clear that he is preemptively pardoned of anything he may do as president,” Clyburn said after noting that Trump’s New York hush money conviction this year would not fall under the realm of pardon territory because it is a state offense.
Trump has not been convicted of any federal crimes, and the cases brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith are being dropped.
He was facing charges in Florida for allegedly mishandling classified documents he took from the White House after his term ended. The case stemmed from the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022.
Smith also brought charges against Trump in Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol and his role in allegedly inciting the incident.
A pardon from the White House would bring all the federal cases against Trump to a halt.
On Monday, Manchin became the first Democratic-affiliated lawmaker in the upper chamber to propose pardoning Trump “for all his charges.” Manchin left the Democratic Party this year to become an independent but still caucuses with his former party.
“Make it … a lot more balanced, if you will. I’m just saying, wipe them out,” he said.
Reacting to his colleague’s position the next day, Clyburn added, “I did see what Manchin had to say…And so, I believe that [he] may be on to something there.”
Clyburn, who was the House majority whip until early 2023, carries great weight with Biden. The South Carolina lawmaker was credited with helping the president surge to victory during the 2020 Democratic primary in the Palmetto State, allowing him to recoup from a series of brutal losses and gain momentum in his race to become the party’s nominee.
He was also one of the last people Biden talked to before he dropped his bid for reelection in July.
Clyburn and Manchin’s push to pardon Trump comes after Biden’s recent decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun felonies this year, sparked controversy.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle criticized the president’s move, as it followed repeated promises he had made not to grant the favor to his son.
Clyburn, on the other hand, broke with many of his colleagues, saying he called the president “two weeks ago” and urged him to pardon Hunter Biden.
“I am absolutely OK with it,” he said of the president’s pardon.
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Manchin was less enthusiastic, saying he understood where the president was coming from as “a father.”
“What I would have done differently, and my recommendations as a counselor would have been, why don’t you go ahead and pardon Donald Trump for all his charges?” he said.
