Radio host Charlamagne tha God cautioned that potential preemptive pardons from President Biden to political rivals of President-elect Trump could "look guilty."
“I don’t think President Biden should do preemptive pardons either. Makes people look guilty if you ask me,” Charlamagne said on "The Breakfast Club" podcast, as highlighted by Mediaite.
The comment comes as potential preemptive pardons from Biden to people he fears may be targeted under the incoming Trump administration have divided Democrats and sparked backlash from the GOP.
Lawmakers who served on the special House committee investigating the Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021, have been floated as among those who could receive preemptive pardons after Trump expressed openness to having those members imprisoned.
During the episode, Charlamagne said that "it seems strange" to do preemptive pardons if no wrong was done.
"I just don't understand why you would give somebody a preemptive pardon, like it just feels like he was saying, 'OK, I know this person is guilty for something and Trump may go after them,'" Charlamagne said.
Instead, he suggested that nonviolent drug offenders should receive pardons.
“Biden should be pardoning all the nonviolent drug offenders in federal prison. He should be pardoning everybody in federal prison for nonviolent weed convictions, OK? He should be pardoning [former Baltimore City State Attorney] Marilyn Mosby," Charlamagne said.
Mosby was convicted of mortgage fraud and perjury earlier this year, though members of the Congressional Black Caucus, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, the Rev. Al Sharpton and activist Angela Rye have all called on Biden to pardon Mosby, whom they say was a political target of Trump's.
