In the middle of fallout from angry democrats who accuse the president of a “misuse of power,” some say Biden pardoning Trump could even the scales and extend an olive branch to the new administration.

“The slate must be wiped clean. I think this is by far the most balanced way to proceed,” said the outgoing senator. Joe Manchin (I-WV), which talks with Democrats, told the Washington Examiner. “Here in Congress, with senators and congressmen, that would balance things out and calm things down.”

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Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) argued that Trump, like Hunter Biden, faced “weaponized” legal proceedings in the case of falsifying business records in exchange for a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

“These cases were clearly used against them for political purposes. It’s undeniable,” he said. Policy. “It has always been inappropriate in my opinion. And a pardon in either case is appropriate. And, to me, that damaged America’s trust in these institutions.”

Hunter Biden was criminally convicted in two federal criminal cases and was awaiting sentencing this month.

In June, a Delaware jury convicted Biden of three counts related to lying about drug use on a form when purchasing a handgun and sentenced him to up to up to 25 years in prison. In another matter in September, Biden pleaded guilty to nine charges related to failure to pay income taxes on millions of dollars of income, punishable by up to 17 years in prison.

But Biden granted a full pardon Sunday of his son’s convictions, in a reversal of his past comments saying he would not intervene. The pardon covers the last decade dating back to early 2014 for any crimes Hunter Biden “committed or may have committed.”

The blowback against Biden was immediate and bipartisan. Democrats lamented Biden’s actions, calling them a “setback” that would “erode” Americans’ trust, while Republicans called them another example of a two-tier justice system.

“As a father, I understand. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, this is a setback,” said Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH).

The prospect of Biden pardoning Trump may seem far-fetched, given the Democrat’s long-standing warning to voters that the Republican poses a “threat to democracy.” Such a move would completely undermine Biden’s rhetoric and spark the fury of his fellow Democrats, going beyond their displeasure over pardoning Hunter.

In three additional criminal cases, beyond the falsified documents for the secret payment, Trump was charged with mishandling classified documents after leaving office, and separate state and federal charges for attempting to cancel the 2020 elections.

Several Democratic lawmakers were reluctant to entertain the idea of ​​a pardon or rejected it outright.

“It’s a terrible idea,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), declining to elaborate.

“I didn’t even think about it,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT).

Similarly, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said he would not “speculate on another pardon.”

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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who is expected to be the next chairwoman of the Democrats’ Senate campaign arm for the 2026 elections, declined to take a position and said the decision was left entirely to Biden.

“It would send the message that there is a pattern of political prosecutions,” Gillibrand told the Washington Examiner. “It’s certainly something he can consider, but it’s entirely his decision.”

Supporters of a pardon for Trump say it could ease some of the political tensions Biden faces.

“I think Biden and his party would probably benefit more than they would lose,” said Jon Schaff, a political science professor at Northern State University in South Dakota.

“It would be considered a courtesy, a healing step,” Schaff added. “There is a relatively broad consensus that our politics is embittered and lacking any sort of magnanimity. And that would be Biden’s magnanimous decision.

Biden justified his about-face in pardoning Hunter by saying his son was chosen by the Justice Department for political reasons and the victim of selective prosecution. “Enough is enough,” the president said in his Sunday statement, denouncing the “raw politics” infecting the justice system.

The tone was Trump’s, with the former president insisting his accusations were solely motivated by the fact that his political enemies wanted to destroy him. If Biden is serious about stopping yet another “miscarriage of justice,” Trump’s argument has long been that he is the ultimate victim of baseless prosecutions.

Some are drawing similarities between Biden’s situation and that of former President Gerald Ford who pardoned Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over,” Ford joked after taking the oath of office before Chief Justice Warren Burger.

According to recent statistics From the Pardon Attorney’s Office, Biden received at least 11,863 requests for clemency and clemency. Of these requests, 25 pardons and 132 commutations were granted.

Still, a blanket pardon for Trump would bring its own set of problems.

Cayce Myers, a professor at Virginia Tech’s school of communications, opposed Biden’s pardon of Trump because it removed a personal issue from the political arena.

“It seriously calls into question the presidential pardon power and it calls into question: Is it being abused and is it legitimate? And is this something that needs to be revisited? Myers said. “From Biden’s perspective…I think this would be heavily criticized by Democrats. I think any Republican who calls on Biden to do this knows that’s not the case. It’s just sort of a political talking point to point out the bias of his own grace to his son.

Brian Kalt, a law professor at Michigan State University, foreshadowed Democrats’ “outrage” and a failed attempt at unity.

“Republicans would like that, but it’s not like they would change their minds about Biden overall,” Kalt said. “I don’t see the benefit to him, and I don’t think it would bring any unity.”

“It’s too late. If he pardons Trump, it will be seen as nothing more than an attempt to reduce backlash,” added Paul Larkin, a senior law fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.

“If he wanted to do that, he should have had a lot of pardon warrants that he was going to sign, that he signed for all kinds of people, including Donald Trump and his son,” he said. added.

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Notably, presidential pardons only extend to federal crimes and would not benefit Trump’s New York felony conviction in his hush money case or the charges against him in the Georgia election subversion case for his efforts to overturn the state’s results. Only governors possess the power to completely cleanse Trump of his legal problems at the state level.

Special counsel Jack Smith has decided to drop the two federal lawsuits he was pursuing against Trump, which involve alleged mishandling of classified documents and efforts at the federal level to overturn the 2020 election.

It remains unclear whether the Georgia case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will have to wait until 2029, when Trump is no longer in office. Kalt doubted the lawsuits would continue to plague Trump after a second term.

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“Trump is unlikely to face prosecution after leaving office, anyway, at this point,” said Kalt, the law professor. “But if he did, and if a pardon was appropriate, it would be up to the then-new president to grant the pardon.”

THE Washington Examiner has contacted the White House for comment.