After beginning his second term with a flurry of executive orders, President Donald Trump gave an exclusive one-on-one interview with Fox News star Sean Hannity in the Oval Office on Wednesday. As seen in the clip below, Trump said of former President Joe Biden: “He didn’t give himself a pardon. And he didn’t give some other people a pardon that needed it. I heard Schiff went to him and just begged for a pardon.”
Note: Before leaving the White House, Biden issued preemptive pardons to Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and other members of House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the Capitol, including former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) who have been the targets of MAGA vitriol and legal threats from Trump himself — Trump has said Cheney “should be in jail.”
Trump on Biden: “He didn’t give himself a pardon. And he didn’t give some other people a pardon that needed it. I heard Schiff went to him and just begged for a pardon.” pic.twitter.com/6ungTbID6O
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 23, 2025
Schiff responded to Trump’s Fox interview by offering what he presented as fact-checking, writing on X: “‘Schiff begged for a pardon’ Nope. Quite the opposite.” Schiff added: “Trump’s phone call with Zelensky was taped. Wrong again. ‘It was a perfect call.’ Oh please, not that again.”
One of only a few lawmakers on either side of the aisle still loudly antagonizing the new — and newly emboldened — President, Schiff enumerated what he called Trump’s falsehoods, writing: “3 lies a minute. Trump must be slowing down.”
In addition to his Jan 6 committee role, Schiff was the lead prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment case, which centered on what Trump called — and still calls — his “perfect call” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Schiff’s opening argument against Trump in that case can be seen below.
Schiff said Monday that the pardon to Jan 6 committee members was not necessary and was “because of the precedent it establishes, unwise.” But he added, “I certainly understand why President Biden believed he needed to take this step in light of the persistent and baseless threats issued by Donald Trump and individuals who are now some of his law enforcement nominees.”