Former Attorney General Eric Holder ruled on whether President Biden or the 2024 presidential winner could pardon former President Donald Trump if he is convicted of federal charges.
“I think I would tell the president, the next attorney general, to let the system do its job. Try the cases, see what the results are. And then treat this convicted president, or anyone else who’s been convicted, as anybody else,” Holder, who served as AG under the Obama administration, said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday.
Former President Donald Trump was indicted on federal charges last month related to the alleged willful withholding of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty and dismissed the charges as a “witch hunt.” Trump also pleaded not guilty to state charges in New York in April to allegations he falsified business records related to hush money payments made during the 2016 election season.
“Pardons are generally for people who express remorse and after they’ve done things that show they’ve changed their lives,” Holder continued.
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Attorney General Eric Holder addresses the media in New Orleans after a House vote to hold him in contempt on June 28, 2012. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
“If those kinds of determinations can be made regarding the former president, or anyone else who was convicted, yes, I would support that. Absent something like that, I don’t think it would be a wise thing to do.” , he concluded.
Trump, the GOP front-runner for the 2024 election, and Republican allies have criticized the pool of charges as the latest “witch hunt” mounts against him.
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“The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the armed ‘Department of Injustice’ of the Biden administration will go down as one of the most horrific abuses of power in our country’s history,” Trump said last month in the Georgia Republican Convention. “This brutal persecution is a travesty of justice.”
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on August 6, 2022 in Dallas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“They have launched one witch hunt after another to try to stop our movement,” he added. “They’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you.”
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Other Republican candidates who have thrown their hat into the 2024 presidential ring have recently indicated they would likely pardon Trump if he is indeed convicted and win the White House, including Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Larry Elder. Other GOP candidates have openly said they likely would not pardon Trump if elected, including Chris Christie, Will Hurd and Asa Hutchinson.
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In May, Biden laughed off a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy about whether he might pardon the former president.
