WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden shared with YSL News that he has not yet made a decision about whether to proactively offer pardons to individuals like former Rep. Liz Cheney or health expert Anthony Fauci to shield them from possible investigations by President-elect Donald Trump.

However, Biden noted that during their meeting in the Oval Office on November 13, he encouraged Trump not to pursue vendettas against others.

“I made it clear that going back to settle scores was unnecessary and not beneficial for his interests,” Biden remarked in a Sunday interview with YSL News.

How did Trump react? “Well, he didn’t say, ‘No, I’m going to…'” Biden explained. “He merely listened without offering a reaffirmation.”

Biden’s consideration for pardons arises from Trump’s continual threats to investigate those who scrutinized him or stood against his agenda in his initial term.

Trump, who faced two federal indictments that were dismissed following his election win, has voiced intentions to jail Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and special counsel Jack Smith.

While Trump cannot imprison his opponents outright, his chosen leaders for the Justice Department and the FBI have expressed plans to investigate political adversaries, posing the risk of charges and prosecution.

Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, has claimed that “the bad prosecutors will be held accountable.” His choice for FBI Director, former intelligence official Kash Patel, has hinted at unearthing “conspirators not only in government but also in the media.”

According to Trump in an NBC News interview, all members of the House committee that investigated the January 6, 2021 Capitol incident, including Cheney and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., should “face imprisonment.”

Trump labeled Schiff, who spearheaded the first impeachment against him and was part of the January 6 committee, as “a traitor from within.”

Fauci, previously the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, became a frequent target for Republican lawmakers during the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump has remarked that he often bypassed Fauci during his presidency.

Cheney has critically addressed Trump concerning potential federal investigations, labeling the allegations as “a cowardly and malicious attack on the truth.”

“No credible attorney, legislator, or judge would consider this seriously,” Cheney stated.

Schiff has mentioned that offering broad pardons for unspecified offenses would create a harmful precedent.

Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor in the country, to Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who led the House committee investigating the January 6 assault.

In the YSL News interview, Biden indicated that any choice regarding pardons before he leaves office on January 20 would rely on the indications Trump gives about his plans.

“Ultimately, a lot will depend on the positions he assigns,” Biden concluded.