Joe Biden has told aides he does not want his presidency consumed with investigations of Donald Trump , saying he wants to move on and focus on uniting the country.The president-elect has made clear he believes voters gave him a mandate and he intends to follow it.
‘They want us to cooperate. They want us to deliver results,’ he said during a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday.
And that means no lengthy investigations of his predecessor in the Oval Office, NBC News reported, a decision that will likely infuriate Congressional Democrats, who have a series of investigations into Trump in the works. One adviser told NBC News Biden has made it clear that he ‘just wants to move on.’
Another Biden adviser said: ‘He’s going to be more oriented toward fixing the problems and moving forward than prosecuting them.’
The president-elect has said his priorities are dealing with the corona virus pandemic, reviving the economy, repairing race relations and combating climate change. And he doesn’t want those efforts overshadowed by probes into Trump’s businesses, taxes and any other of the president’s actions.
The pronouncement comes amid concerns Trump could sign a flurry of immunity deals for aides and business associates in the final days of his presidency, protecting them from any federal prosecution.
Biden’s Justice Department would take the lead on any federal investigations regarding Trump, his staff, and his businesses.
He has not said who will be his attorney general, but Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, who lost his re-election bid in November, is seen as a top contender.
Joe Biden has told aides he does not want his presidency consumed with investigations of Donald Trump, telling them he wants to focus on uniting the country
There have been concerns President Donald Trump could sign a flurry of immunity deals for aides and business associates in the final days of his presidency, protecting them from any federal prosecution
Another Biden adviser said the president-elect would not interfere with any decisions his Justice Department made about investigations should there be cause – a move that would give Biden cover from any possible criticism from Democrats.
‘His overarching view is that we need to move the country forward,’ an adviser said. ‘But the most important thing on this is that he will not interfere with his Justice Department and not politicize his Justice Department.’ Another Biden adviser said that when it comes to any Trump-related investigations, the expectation is ‘it’s going to be very situational’ and ‘depending on the merits.’
Among the federal probes Trump is facing: House Democrats are focused on actions by President Trump – and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani – to get Ukraine to launch investigations tied to Biden.
Four House committees are seeking Trump’s financial records, including his tax returns. Three House committees are looking into possible violations of the emoluments clause of the Constitution when it comes to his Trump properties.
The House Oversight Committee is battling in court for documents from the accounting firm Mazars USA to see if Trump inflated the value of his assets and liabilities on financial statements.
And any decisions by Biden and his Justice Department wouldn’t affect investigations by state officials such as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s investigation of Trump’s taxes or the Maryland Attorney General’s probe into whether Trump violated the emoluments clause. But Biden’s team said they wanted to be careful not to signal to Trump that there would not be any examination of his actions.
‘While they’re not looking for broad criminal indictments, they do want to make sure that people don’t think there are no ramifications for any of their actions between now and the new presidency,’ this person said.
