Ben Shapiro defends Trump associates and members of Congress for seeking a preemptive pardon

“It's saying I wish to have a protection against people who may try to prosecute me for a crime I didn't commit. That is, at least, one plausible explanation.”

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Citation From the June 29, 2022, of The Daily Wire's The Ben Shapiro Show

BEN SHAPIRO (HOST): She also says that after January 6, Mark Meadows expressed interest in a pardon. Now, this is an argument that people keep using over and over again -- is people who have been involved in this case, ranging from John Eastman to Mark Meadows to members of Congress. Preemptively seeking a pardon because you believe the people who are coming into office are going to vindictively prosecute you is not, in fact, admission of a crime. It's not.

If a Democrat -- I remember saying to friends when Joe Biden was about to come into office, well, I'm really glad that I overpay my taxes because, if I didn't, I would assume that the IRS is about to audit me now that Joe Biden is in office. Saying I wish for a preemptive pardon because I'm a high-profile figure in the prior administration and there are vindictive people coming into office is not, in fact, an admission that you committed a crime. It's saying I wish to have a protection against people who may try to prosecute me for a crime I didn't commit. That is, at least, one plausible explanation.