Mitt Romney: Biden Should Have Pardoned Trump for All Federal Crimes, Romney Claims Biden Abused Power to Dismiss State Charges
Written by Bess Levin
Mitt Romney has described Donald Trump in many negative terms, labeled him a "whack job," and accused him of being a con artist and a fraud. He claimed Trump was obviously mentally unstable and expressed xenophobia, bigotry, vulgarity, and misogyny. Romney supported impeachment of the former president twice, describing Trump's behavior as a gross violation of public faith and claiming that Trump undeniably encouraged rebellion against Congress. Romney also criticized Trump for allegedly disregarding national defense and hindering justice intentionally, according to the Department of Justice. He stated that Trump's refusal to return classified documents resulted in these allegations; he emphasized the seriousness of these charges and connected them with other actions detrimental to national interest, such as Trump's failure to protect the Capitol from violent riots and his political manipulation of Ukraine's defensive weapons.
Considering all these factors, one may assume that Romney wants Trump to face legal consequences for his alleged crimes and, if found guilty, receive adequate punishment. However, Romney's stance is surprisingly different!
In an interview with Stephanie Ruhle, the Utah senator suggested that Joe Biden should have granted Trump an immediate pardon after his federal indictment. Romney argued that not pressuring New York prosecutors to abandon their case against Trump was a colossal mistake by president Biden. Romney's justification for this conclusion was that such action would make Biden "the big guy" and Trump "the little guy". Regarding the state case, he said Biden should have intensely opposed the prosecution. Romney claimed this situation would only be beneficial for Trump. He likened these circumstances to the 1960s, saying if Lyndon B. Johnson had been the president faced with such a scenario, he would have intervened to prevent the prosecutor from pursuing the case.
This suggestion is problematic as it directly contradicts Biden's authority regarding state charges and would signify a significant overstep. Ruhle, wanting to confirm that Romney understood this, asked him if he advocated for a separate but equal government system. Romney affirmed this but continued to explain why Biden should have pardoned Trump in the federal cases.
Nevertheless, substantial issues with Romney's argument exist. Firstly, it assumes that people would perceive the situation in the proposed way, and secondly, it implies that a man accused of numerous severe crimes should remain unpunished.
In the same interview, while seemingly unintended, Romney made an argument for holding Trump responsible for his actions. Not only should Trump like every other individual be held accountable as per law, but voters deserve the right to fully understand the character of the person they might vote for.
