Ed Martin said, “We’re going to look good permanently.”
President Donald Trump’s newly tabbed pardon lawyer said on May 13 that his work includes the pardon issued by former President Joe Biden just before he left office in January.
“I think Biden’s pardon requires some scrutiny, and I think they need scrutiny because we want to be important, accepted and used correctly,” Ed Martin, the counsel for relentlessness, told reporters at a press conference in Washington.
“So, I don’t know how they did, what they did, if they were, but null and void, I don’t know how it works,” he added.
Biden’s pardon, issued during his final hours of office, went to several individuals, including former lawmaker Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). The pardon was due to conduct in which the individual had not been charged.
Biden said at the time that people “do not deserve targets of unfair and politically motivated prosecution.”
Martin said Tuesday that pardons were not particularly reasonable, but he didn’t necessarily think that use in the automatic era would disable them.
Such actions “suspend you,” Martin said. “That’s what you should do, just like Biden’s pardon is unprecedented in its scope, a pause.
Martin also said he is considering various actions taken during the Biden administration, including prosecution of those who participated on January 6, 2021 and violations of the Capitol. He said under him the group is exploring the launch of a portal that will provide more updates on the work and allow people to provide tips for them.
