President-elect Donald Trump signaled Sunday that he would let bygones be bygones when it comes to the Biden White House, downplaying previous hints he’d sic prosecutors on his enemies once in office.
The Biden administration has reportedly been feverishly debating whether to issue blanket pardons for people who have presumably been in Trump’s crosshairs, including ex-COVID czar Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) of the House Jan. 6 committee and ex-special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump — referring to members of the House panel who were probing his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, rioting on Capitol Hill — told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in the pretaped interview, “For what they did, honestly they should go to jail.”
But when asked if he’d direct his US attorney general and FBI director to go after them, he replied, “No, not at all.
“I think [the two law-enforcement agencies will] have to look at that. But I’m not going to [ask]. I’m going to focus on drill baby drill,” the prez-elect said, referring to efforts to expand US oil and gas production.
Trump had rattled many of his critics by initially choosing bombastic former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — unpopular in the halls of Congress — to helm the Justice Department. Gaetz was later forced to drop out of the running over issues including a sex scandal, and Trump named Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) to replace him.
Detractors said they also are fearful Trump will likely fire FBI director Christopher Wray and replace him with loyalist Kash Patel, who had once crafted a list of so-called “Deep States” enemies.
But in Sunday’s “Meet the Press” interview, Trump suggested he’d take more of a hands-off posture toward the DOJ and the FBI, which is supposed to be the norm for presidents, than he may have indicated in the past.
Trump, asked if he wanted Bondi to investigate Smith and the team that prosecuted the president-elect over alleged crimes, said, “I want her to do what she wants to do.
“I think he’s very corrupt,” he said of Smith.
But “I’m not going to instruct [Bondi] to [probe Smith]. No.”
Trump also downplayed Patel’s list of 60 “Deep State” actors and said he doesn’t want him to automatically launch investigations against them.
“No, I think he’s going to do what he thinks is right,” Trump said of the possibility of widespread probes against MAGA enemies.
“If [Patel and his aides] think that someone was dishonest, or crooked or corrupt politicians, I think he probably has an obligation to” investigate, Trump said.
But the GOPer, asked whether he would instruct such a probe, replied, “No, not at all.
“No, I’m not doing that unless I find something that is reasonable, but that’s not going to be my decision, that’s going to be Pam Bondi’s decision and to a different extent, Kash Patel,” Trump told NBC of potential investigations by the law-enforcement honchos.
When asked about appointing someone to target anyone in Biden’s family for alleged wrongdoing — which Trump vowed to do on Truth Social last year — the president-elect asked where he said that, almost as if he had forgotten about that statement.
President Biden has already infamously pardoned his criminally convicted son Hunter — after repeatedly pledging not to do so. The president’s younger brother Jim also has been accused of unethically cashing in on the family name.
Trump, responding to the question of going after any Bidens, responded, “I’m really looking to make our country successful.
“I’m not looking to go back into the past,” he said. “Retribution will be through success.”
The president-elect said he is surprised by the widespread support Patel has garnered from Republicans, noting how such a “strong conservative voice” usually gets pushback from the party’s moderates.
“I don’t think he’s going to have any negative votes,” Trump said of Patel’s potential confirmation by the Senate.
