Tuesday, 17 November 2020 (YJC)_ President-elect Biden does not want investigations into President Trump after he leaves office to consume and further divide the nation, a new report alleges he privately told advisers.
Citing five people familiar with the discussions, NBC News reported Tuesday morning that the 46th commander-in-chief was wary of some Democrats’ desires to probe the outgoing president once he no longer has legal protections
Biden reportedly raised concerns that such investigations would only deepen the political divides in the country at a time when he had publicly argued he had a mandate to unite Americans across party lines.
The president-elect said that he was specifically worried about the ongoing federal tax investigations into his predecessor or of the potential for prosecutors to challenge any orders made by the outgoing president granting immunity to members of his staff before leaving office.
One Biden adviser said the president-elect has made it clear that he “just wants to move on” from President Trump, while another told the network, “He’s going to be more oriented toward fixing the problems and moving forward than prosecuting them.”
A Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the reporting.
While a Biden-led Justice Department can opt against investigating the former commander-in-chief, he has no authority to stop the probes being led by state and other non-federal officials, including by New York state Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
Vance has been engaged in a years-long legal battle for Trump’s tax returns, while James is probing the Trump Organization’s business dealings.
President Trump’s son Eric testified before state investigators last month after unsuccessfully fighting to delay his interview until after the November presidential election.
New York state lawmakers have even gone as far as to propose a bill that would make it harder for any former president to avoid state prosecution if accused of criminal wrongdoing.
Source: NYpost
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