Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed former President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, suggesting that the move could backfire on the former COVID czar.
During a press conference, DeSantis reflected on the situation after a reporter pointed out that while Fauci is shielded from federal prosecution, he could still face legal action at the state level.
DeSantis acknowledged the “good” question before turning attention to recent revelations, including findings from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
“I don’t know if you saw this Elon Musk stuff,” DeSantis began. “They identified 180,000 for a commemoration of Fauci at NIH headquarters. What the hell are they commemorating about Fauci? I mean, at best, you can say, you know, you have the Super Bowl of public health, a pandemic, and he totally botched it. That’s the best you can say, without even getting involved in gain of function, research and all the things that went into that treachery, how you can venerate him.”
“At best, you have to admit he got it wrong when this country was looking for leadership. He was on TV … I’ve never seen anyone do more TV interviews,” he added. The GOP governor then quipped: “I was like, why isn’t he looking at the data? And I was like, because he’s always giving interviews. That’s why he’s not looking at the data.”
Regarding Biden’s pardon, DeSantis said that actually drew more scrutiny on Fauci. “But the issue — so Biden did a preemptive pardon of him, which is odd, because, you know, if he didn’t do anything wrong. So the question is, what about a state action? And I think the pardon made it more likely that states are going to look into it,” said the governor.
He went on to say that had Biden not pardoned Fauci, then state attorneys general would likely not have made any effort to investigate the former top immunologist.
“I do think had Biden not pardoned him, I don’t think you would have seen the states really do this,” said DeSantis.
“I think they would have deferred to the Trump administration,” DeSantis said. “The reason why this could backfire on Fauci is because even if the, say, Biden didn’t pardon him, if the Trump administration had pursued charges against Fauci in say, DC, you’re not going to prosecute someone from the swamp. If the jury is comprised of the swamp, they will acquit. They protect the swamp.”
He then concluded: “If you start looking at some of these other states, those jury pools gonna be a lot different potentially. So I don’t think we’ve seen the end of it. I do think that it’s very possible that the new Ag in Florida looks and pursues this type of investigation, but I would also anticipate some other states would also do it, so it may end up boomeranging against Fauci. Biden intended to shield him from accountability, that it may have actually sparked state-based efforts to ensure his accountability.”
WATCH:
Journalist Matt Taibbi said during an interview with former Fox News star Tucker Carlson on his podcast last month that former Biden’s preemptive pardons for Fauci, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), and others could wind up backfiring under certain circumstances.
“The thing is, about these pardons, they’re a mistake. If you want to know what’s happening, they just made it a lot easier for us to find out,” Taibbi said regarding suspicions that Biden preemptively pardoned several individuals who likely were involved in some form of criminal activity.
After Carlson asked for an explanation, Taibbi said that according to legal experts he has spoken with, the pardons would not, for instance, allow the recipients to plead the Fifth Amendment if Congress called them to testify.
“Now, once the pardon’s delivered, the person can’t plead the Fifth. If they are brought before a grand jury, they can’t take the Fifth anymore, or if they’re brought before a congressional committee, they can’t evoke their right against self-incrimination, so they have to say something,” the journalist said.
