Rivian, U.S. finalize $6.6. billion loan before Trump retakes office

• January 17, 2025

By Ari Natter | Bloomberg

The Biden administration finalized billions of dollars in financing for electric-vehicle maker Irvine-based Rivian Automotive and hydrogen company Plug Power Inc. just days before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

The Department of Energy announced Thursday the closing of $6.6 billion in financing for Rivian to construct a Georgia manufacturing plant. It also confirmed Latham, New York-based Plug Power will get a $1.66 billion loan guarantee for hydrogen plants.

The financing comes as the Energy Department’s loan program — which effectively became a $400 billion green bank during Joe Biden’s presidency — faces new threats from Trump’s incoming administration.

Also see: Harbinger Motors in Garden Grove raises $100M to fuel EV truck chassis growth

Trump asked Congress during his first term to eliminate the program. This time around, some in his inner circle want to get rid of or retool the Loan Programs Office to finance fossil fuels and other energy sources favored by Republicans.

Already, one of the two leaders tapped by Trump to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, Vivek Ramaswamy, has said the incoming administration will scrutinize billions of dollars in “11th-hour transactions,” including the loan offer to Rivian.

Rivian, in a statement Thursday, said its financing would accelerate expansion of the company’s new R2 SUV and R3 crossover, and was “key to U.S. leadership in the electric vehicle industry.”

More on cars: Uncertainty over Trump’s EV policies clouds 2025 forecast for carmakers

Plug said its funding would be used for the construction of as many as six projects, the first to benefit being its Graham, Texas, green hydrogen plant.

“We believe the hydrogen economy aligns closely with national security interests, ensuring that the U.S. remains at the forefront of energy technology development and deployment on a global scale,” Andy Marsh, Plug’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Rivian shares closed 3.6% higher after the finalizing of the loans was first reported by Bloomberg, while Plug Power gained 1.1%.

–With assistance from Kara Carlson and Ed Ludlow.

​ Orange County Register 

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted is expected to succeed JD Vance in the U.S. Senate, AP sources say

• January 17, 2025

By JULIE CARR SMYTH

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to select his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, on Friday to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate.

That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity before an announcement planned for Friday afternoon.

The surprise pick of Husted, who had been positioning to run for governor in 2026, potentially averts a divisive and expensive GOP primary to fill Vance’s seat next year.

DeWine’s decision ends months of jockeying among top Ohio Republicans for Vance’s position, which he had held for less than two years. The former senator resigned Friday.

The 57-year-old Husted, a former Ohio House speaker and two-term secretary of state, will serve until Dec. 15, 2026. A special election for the last two years of Vance’s six-year term will be held in November 2026.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike DeWine plans to announce his choice to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate on Friday, a decision that will reveal the power of Donald Trump’s continuing sway in the one-time swing state he’s now won three times.

The term-limited, politically pragmatic DeWine, 78, has sole discretion over the pick — but he has twice in recent weeks visited Mar-a-Lago, the president-elect’s de facto headquarters, where discussions on the selection presumably occurred.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was with him on one the trips. Husted had been positioning to run for governor in 2026, but his political future appeared suddenly tied to that of former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump insider.

As he also eyed a bid for governor, Ramaswamy had initially pulled himself out of contention for the Senate seat. That was due in part to the work that he and Elon Musk have been assigned by Trump on federal government efficiency. But Ramaswamy visited DeWine at the governor’s residence last week and expressed interest in the Senate appointment.

He is among a long list of contenders vying for the seat after Vance’s election in November. Those include several Republicans who lost Senate primaries in 2022, 2024 or both — Secretary of State Frank LaRose, state Sen. Matt Dolan and former state GOP chair Jane Timken, as well as congressional representatives, statewide officeholders and political outsiders.

Vance was only two years into a six-year term when he resigned last week. Whoever succeeds him will serve until Dec. 15, 2026. They would need to be elected to the remaining two years of his term in a special election in November 2026, when it is possible that former three-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown could attempt a comeback. Brown lost a re-election bid to Republican Bernie Moreno, a Cleveland businessman last fall.

Moreno and Vance were both boosted into the Senate with help from endorsements by Trump. Neither had held elective office before.

​ Orange County Register 

Australian Open: Gauff, Sabalenka zeroing in on rematch

• January 17, 2025

MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff still hasn’t lost a set at the Australian Open — or, actually, this season. She moved into the fourth round at Melbourne Park with a straightforward 6-4, 6-2 victory over 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez on Friday night.

While there have been plenty of surprises in the men’s bracket so far, most of the top women have progressed through the draw without an issue. That includes wins on Friday for No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who is the two-time defending champion in Australia, No. 3 Gauff, No. 11 Paula Badosa and No. 14 Mirra Andreeva.

However, No. 7 seed Jessica Pegula was ousted by world No. 55 Olga Danilovic in two sets.

The Serbian player beat the U.S. Open runner-up 7-6 (3), 6-1 after she hit 28 winners and saved all six break points she faced. It was Danilovic’s third career win over a top-10 player.

Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion in Australia, stopped playing because of a strained abdominal muscle after dropping the first set of her match against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic.

Men’s winners in third-round action included No. 2 Alexander Zverev, No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 7 Novak Djokovic, No. 12 Tommy Paul and No. 15 Jack Draper. Djokovic — who won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open — overcame some mid-match breathing trouble to dismiss No. 26 Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 at night.

“I think I played really well,” Djokovic said. “I’m very happy with my game.”

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had a much more difficult path, coming back from two sets down for the second match in a row and saving two match points to sneak past 19-year-old Jakub Mensik 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-2. Davidovich Fokina is the first man since 2005 to win twice in a row in Australia after falling behind 0-2 in sets.

“In all these years I had a lot of up-and-downs,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I had decided this year to fight every point.”

Alcaraz’s next opponent will be No. 15 Jack Draper or Aleksandar Vukic.

A year ago, 2023 U.S. Open champion Gauff had her best run in Melbourne, getting to the semifinals before bowing out against Sabalenka, who extended her winning streak at the tournament to 17 matches by eliminating Clara Tauson 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Friday.

Like Gauff, Sabalenka is unbeaten in the early going in 2025. They could meet in the semifinals again this time around next weekend.

Gauff needed just 75 minutes to get past Fernandez, a left-hander who was seeded 30th. Gauff was broken just once and compiled an 18-7 advantage in total winners.

It was Gauff’s second recent win over Fernandez, after beating her in the United Cup team competition. That is part of Gauff’s 8-0 record, 16-0 in sets, so far this season.

That made this one “harder,” Gauff said, “because she knows what to expect, and I definitely think she played a little bit different today.”

That prompted Gauff to switch some things up, too, as she seeks her second major championship. She’s tweaked her coaching staff and altered her serving and forehand mechanics a bit after being a tad disappointed with her Grand Slam performances in 2024 — even if the season did end with a title at the WTA Finals.

“Tennis feels so high stakes, but it’s really not. I’m so lucky to do what I do — also get paid doing it,” said Gauff, a 20-year-old from Florida.

“My biggest thing I learned last year is just not to take anything for granted,” Gauff said, “and just realized this time is going to go by so fast. … I’m just trying to enjoy it while I’m here.”

Neither Sabalenka nor Tauson served all that well in Rod Laver Arena. Maybe it was the sun. Maybe it was the wind. Maybe it was slower court conditions.

The first seven games of the match were all breaks, and Tauson was the first to hold, leading 5-3. But that’s when Sabalenka began to get going.

“I am super happy I was able to push myself,” Sabalenka said. “I told myself, ‘Well, girl, you are tough.’ So many times, I thought I was done.”

Next for her is a matchup with 17-year-old Andreeva, a 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 winner against No. 23 Magdalena Frech.

Badosa barely emerged to beat No. 17 Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 27th seed, defeated Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-2. Siegemund took a big step back after beating No. 5 Qinwen Zheng, who was the runner-up to Sabalenka in Australia last January and won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August, in her last match.

Alcaraz ceded a set for the first time this week but beat Nuno Borges 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2, Zverev defeated Jacob Fearnley 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and Paul got past Robert Carballes Baena 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-0. Draper rallied to beat Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8) and set up a fourth-round meeting with Alcaraz.

​ Orange County Register 

Mater Dei girls basketball uses depth to race past JSerra for first place in Trinity League

• January 17, 2025

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — If one only focused on the top scoring averages and college recruiting interest, Mater Dei’s girls basketball team could appear to be heavily-powered by Addison Deal and Kaeli Wynn.

And while that duo has been outstanding in averaging about 19 points per game, the Monarchs rely on more than just arguably Orange County’s top two players.

Mater Dei presented a compelling case in a 79-37 victory at JSerra on Thursday.

In improving to 2-0 in the Trinity League and running their winning streak to a season-high eight games, the top-ranked Monarchs (19-2) used their depth off the bench to overcome foul trouble in the first half.

The contributions from post Nohe’alani Stores and rising sophomore Harmony Golightly off the bench helped set the stage for a strong finish by Mater Dei. The Monarchs invoked a running clock late in the fourth period and outscored the No. 7 Lions 27-0 in points off the bench.

“We’re all about team,” first-year Mater Dei coach Jody Wynn said. “Honestly, we see it every day in practice. We have a very competitive practice every day. There’s not a lot of drop off (between starters and reserves). We’ve got four seniors who all signed Division 1 and one is coming in off the bench.

“Our bench has been solid all year along,” the coach added.

Golightly made five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points and share the team scoring lead with Iowa signee Deal (seven rebounds).

Stores, a UC Irvine signee, scored eight of her 10 points in the first half in joining starters Amaya Williams (14 points) and Wynn (12) as double-digit scorers.

Deal, Wynn and Stella Hoss all experienced foul trouble in the first half for Mater Dei.

Golightly not only softened the blow but gave Mater Dei the lead for good with her first 3-pointer in the opening quarter. She later beat the halftime buzzer with a 3-pointer from the corner for a 36-24 lead. Williams, bound for Grand Canyon, recorded the assist.

“Harmony played a great game,” Wynn said of Golightly, who had 18 points, including three 3-pointers, against Santa Margarita on Tuesday.

Mater Dei guard Devyn Kiernan, a Southern Utah signee, set the tone for the second half by opening with a 3-pointer off an assist by Wynn.

The Monarchs sank seven of their 10 3-pointers in the second half, including two from Williams and three from Golightly in the fourth.

“We have a lot of pieces so we try to move the ball well and I think we have a great group of girls who are unselfish kids,” Jody Wynn said. “They really just want to get better for the ultimate goal of winning when it counts.”

Kayla Rice and Vivian Grenald scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, to lead JSerra (11-9, 1-1), which started all sophomores.

The Lions’ depth was hurt without Eden Hoff (concussion protocol).

“We were completely in the game through halftime and then we just let it get away from us in second half,” JSerra interim coach Phil Talleur said. “Our girls were working big minutes but … we made some in-roads. We got them in a little bit of foul trouble.”

“We did some good things,” the coach added.

Both teams are participating in upcoming showcases. JSerra plays St. Anthony at the Mira Costa showcase on Saturday at 3 p.m. while the Monarchs face Windward on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Rosary showcase.

​ Orange County Register 

Clippers trounce Blazers for another low-stress night

• January 17, 2025

By ERIK GARCÍA GUNDERSEN The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — As back-to-back sets go, this one didn’t present much of a challenge on paper, but the Clippers left no doubt anyway.

Norman Powell scored 23 points, James Harden had 19 points and six assists and the Clippers routed the Portland Trail Blazers, 118-89, on Thursday night to complete an impressive two-night showing. They crushed a depleted Brooklyn squad by a franchise-record 59 points the previous night in Inglewood.

The Clippers (23-17) were never threatened in this one either. They shot 56.4% from the field (10 for 23 from 3-point range), won the rebounding battle 50-37 and held the Blazers to 37.4% shooting.

Kawhi Leonard, just a few games into his delayed start to the season, was given the night off as part of the ongoing management of his surgically repaired right knee.

Dalano Banton had 23 points in 25 minutes off the bench for the Blazers (13-27), while Scoot Henderson contributed 16 points and six assists. Portland’s Anfernee Simons shot 0 for 9 from the field and failed to score.

The Clippers’ only real concern came midway through the fourth quarter when Kevin Porter Jr. walked gingerly off the court after hurting his lower back in a collision with Banton.

Harden, who was able to sit out the entire fourth quarter off for the second night in a row, scored 12 first-quarter points as the Clippers knocked down 12 of 18 shots in the period for a 32-22 lead. They extended the margin to 47-26 as part of a 24-6 run.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac (10 points, eight rebounds) even blocked two shots on the same possession at one point. The first came on a dunk attempt by Henderson and the second came only seconds later when Blazers center Deandre Ayton picked up the loose ball and tried a dunk of his own.

Henderson, coming off a career-high 39 points against the Nets (14-27) on Tuesday, momentarily ended the struggle for the Blazers, who sharpened up defensively to get within 52-38 by halftime.

The Clippers roared out of the blocks to begin the third quarter, using a 13-2 surge to open a 65-40 lead.

Banton and Kris Murray sparked a 13-2 Portland run over the last 2:37 of the quarter to reduce the Clippers’ cushion to 86-66 going into the fourth.

Powell was active early in the fourth as the Clippers dominated again, blowing the margin out to a game-high 34 points on a Kobe Brown dunk before it was over.

Powell formed a special relationship with Blazers coach Chauncey Billups during Billups’ first season as Portland’s coach, and Billups is impressed with Powell, who is averaging a career-high 23.7 points.

“(I’m) really proud,” Billups said. “I didn’t get to coach him for that long, but we got very, very close in that short time. And he always shared with me that this is the player he could be.”

UP NEXT

The Clippers host the Lakers on Sunday at 6 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

UC Irvine avoids trap, pulls away to beat Cal State Fullerton

• January 17, 2025

IRVINE — The UC Irvine men’s basketball team seemed like a prime candidate for a letdown performance against visiting Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night.

After knocking off three straight top-flight opponents to remain the final unbeaten team in the Big West Conference for the third straight season, the Anteaters took the court shorthanded against a desperate Fullerton team that was still seeking its first conference win.

The Titans hung with UCI for much of the first half before the Anteaters found their footing and eased away for a 82-62 victory at the Bren Events Center.

“We’ve got to come through some of the mental challenges of this type of week against teams that are perceived to be weaker,” said UCI coach Russell Turner, whose team improved to 16-2 overall and 6-0 in Big West play. “In this league, anybody can beat us and we know that. There is added pressure, I think, with some of the things people are talking about because we’ve got 16 wins at this stage. We’ve got to figure out how to manage that better, grow into that.”

It was also the 19th consecutive home win for UCI, equaling the longest home winning streak in program history. The Anteaters also won 19 straight home games from Dec. 2, 2000 to Jan. 17, 2002.

“I don’t want to focus on the number of games we’ve won in a row,” Turner said. “I’d like to be focused on the opportunity we’ve created with the success that we’ve generated at this point because I know that we can continue to get better.”

Bent Leuchten scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half for the Anteaters and grabbed 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double.

Jurian Dixon scored 16 points, Myles Che had 13 before rolling his ankle with just under five minutes left, and Justin Hohn scored 11 for UCI, which came into the game with the fifth-best winning percentage in the nation (.882).

Kyle Evans paced the UCI reserves with seven points and 10 rebounds.

Zion Richardson had 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench and Donovan Oday added 10 points for Fullerton (5-14, 0-7), which has dropped nine consecutive conference games dating to last season.

UCI was coming off wins against UC Riverside, Cal State Northridge and UC San Diego, beating them by an average of 10.7 points. Riverside was picked to finish fourth in the preseason coaches’ poll, Northridge sixth and UCSD third.

Elijah Chol, a 6-foot-11 sophomore forward, made his first start of the season in place of Devin Tillis, the team’s second-leading scorer (13.2) and rebounder (7.8), who sat out with an undisclosed injury.

The Titans opened the game in a zone defense, but the Anteaters softened it up by sinking three of their first four attempts from 3-point range, including two in a row by Leuchten, the 7-1 senior from Germany.

Fullerton called a timeout after Leuchten scored inside for an 11-2 lead less than four minutes into the game and that seemed to settle the Titans, as they scored six of the next seven points.

Richardson entered the game and sank one of his three first-half 3-pointers to cut the lead to 21-20 with 10:01 left, but the Titans could never wrestle the lead from UCI.

Fullerton seemed willing to give up the 3-point shot, while taking as many as possible on the other end. The teams combined for 19 3-point attempts through the first 10 minutes.

“We got too jump-shot happy early in the first half,” Turner said.

Fullerton remained within single digits until Leuchten scored off an inbounds pass to make it 38-27 with 2:03 left in the opening half.

The Anteaters eventually took a 45-31 lead into the intermission.

Dixon collected the first points of the second half to stretch the lead to 48-31, and his fast-break layup made it 54-33 with 15:21 left.

“I thought Jurian Dixon was really excellent tonight with his ball handling, with his decision-making, with some of the passes he threw,” Turner said. “He’s been embracing a defensive role and it’s hard to find offensive comfort and rhythm when you’re embracing the challenge on defense that he’s done.”

UCI stretched the lead to as much as 26 points before the Titans chipped away in the closing minutes.

BIG WEST STANDINGS

(Through Thursday, Jan. 16)

UC Irvine – 16-2, 6-0

UC San Diego – 15-3, 5-1

UC Santa Barbara – 12-5, 4-2

CS Northridge – 12-6, 4-3

UC Davis – 10-8, 4-3

Hawaii – 11-6, 3-3

UC Riverside – 10-8, 3-3

CS Bakersfield – 9-9, 3-3

Long Beach State – 7-11, 3-3

Cal Poly (SLO) – 6-13, 0-7

CS Fullerton – 5-14, 0-7

​ Orange County Register 

Los Alamitos girls soccer wins key Sunset League match against Huntington Beach

• January 17, 2025

HUNTINGTON BEACH — The Los Alamitos girls soccer team came from one goal down to defeat Huntington Beach, 2-1, in a key Sunset League match Thursday at Huntington Beach High School.

The Griffins (9-5-3, 3-0), who are ranked No. 7 in Orange County, and the No. 6 Oilers (9-3-3, 1-1) are expected to contend along with Edison for the top three spots in a league race that might not be decided until the final day of the regular season.

Los Alamitos is alone in first place after the victory and Edison and Huntington Beach are tied for second.

Huntington Beach scored the first goal 20 minutes into the contest, when Los Alamitos goalkeeper Averie Gonzalez hit the ground after a hard collision with an Oilers player.

As Gonzalez was lying face down, the Oilers’ Alexis Katter was able to kick the ball into an open net.

With six minutes remaining in the half, the Griffins’ Cami Ainslie, who was dribbling down the left sideline, curved toward the goal and took a hard shot that the Oilers’ keeper managed to deflect away.

But Griffins freshman Jaylen Guidry was in the perfect spot to control the rebound and score the tying goal.

“I just knew I had to stay calm, make sure we get this goal in because I knew the momentum would change completely once we got that goal,” Guidry said.

After being on their heels defensively for much of the first half, the Griffins adjusted in the second by converging on the player with the ball and focusing most of their effort on containing Sienna McAthy, the Oilers’ leading goal scorer, and Olivia Young, who has four goals and three assists.

“Normally, once they go up ahead of you, they kind of lock things in,” Los Alamitos coach Pat Rossi said. “So that first goal was key because then we went to the half tied 1-1.”

Nine minutes into the second, the Griffins took the lead for good when Victoria Bloch took a short pass from Vivi Zacarias, positioned herself about 25 yards from the goal, stopped and kicked a line drive over the keeper’s head and into the net.

“I was kind of aiming for back post,” Bloch said. “I wanted to make sure that I actually got a good hit on it and was able to nail it and not hit it over (the net).”

Oilers coach Raul Ruiz was pleased with the way his team competed, but said it failed to capitalize on some opportunities.

“Sometimes like I tell the girls when we don’t take advantage of our opportunities, they come back to haunt us,” Ruiz said. “I think that was a case today.”

Prior to the game, the Oilers held a ceremony in honor of fallen teammate Kelly Reid, who was killed along with her father when the Vans RV-10 aircraft they were aboard crashed into a manufacturing building short of the runway at the Fullerton Municipal Airport on Jan.2.

Nineteen employees in the building were injured in the crash.

The Oilers boys and girls soccer teams walked slowly onto the pitch in two straight lines, each holding a white flower and formed a circle at midfield.

Most players wore a long-sleave white T shirts inscribed on the front with the phrase, “#6 Forever.”

On the back of the shirt were the words “Live – Like – Kelly” inscribed in bold capital letters with a Bible verse underneath.

The players also had Reid’s “No. 6” written on their thighs.

“The main thing for us was to have a ceremony in honor of our dear true friend, teammate, Kelly and her father,” Ruiz said. “But I think that itself is so emotional that over the last week and a half we’ve been draining, holding it in the inside.”

“We did what we could under the circumstances and there’s no excuses (for the loss). We just have to make sure that next time we face them we’ll be in a better state of mind.”

​ Orange County Register 

Biden should resist the temptation to pardon his allies. It would set a terrible precedent.

• January 17, 2025

The office of the presidency of the United States is not an easy role to fulfill. It comes with the almost unbearable burden of making decisions about highly impactful matters that most of us would never even think about. If done to the best of one’s ability, it should be emotionally and intellectually exhausting. 

You might forgive presidents for not always making what we would judge to be the best decision in hindsight – when circumstances were ambiguous, when their information was incomplete, or when time pressures rule out a thorough measure of the costs and benefits. 

Often though, they are in a position where we should expect them to make the right decision. For example, we should expect Biden to not preemptively pardon his allies. Biden has stated that his decision on whether to grant preemptive partners to some of his allies depends on who Trump ends up appointing. 

There is an interesting question about whether preemptive pardons are allowed under Article II of the Constitution but we’ll set that aside. President Gerald Ford set a precedent with his preemptive pardon of Richard Nixon but the Supreme Court has demonstrated many times that precedents are not decisive. 

Biden would not only be following in the footsteps of the man who he has criticized the most, but would also be lowering the bar even further for what we can expect to see presidents do. Recall the blatant abuse of the pardon that Donald Trump demonstrated in his first term. 

Incredibly, Trump managed to suppress whatever little integrity or decency he had left to pardon everyone from war criminals to the minions he ordered to commit crimes on his behalf. 

Biden’s concern that Donald Trump could weaponize the justice system to exact furious vengeance on those who believe have wronged him is obviously not unfounded. Trump’s wide ranging threats have been well documented. 

While some of his threats can be interpreted as mere desires that actual crimes be investigated and not that he will personally order them during his second term, he “ReTruthed” (the Truth Social equivalent of retweeting) that, “Democrats are going to start getting indicted,” and stated in no uncertain terms that he, “will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family.” 

Trump also aimed many threats at US attorneys, members of the January 6 committee, journalists, and non-profit charities. During his first term, he publicly and privately pressured the Justice Department to investigate his political rivals, some of which the DOJ actually investigated. He has weaponized the justice system and there is nothing that indicates that he will refrain from doing so again. He also nominated Pam Bondi for Attorney General – she has repeated Trump’s claims that the federal cases against Trump were political persecution. 

And yet, if Biden’s allies did nothing wrong, then they should allow the courts to determine their culpability. Some, like Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Senator Adam Schiff have claimed that they do not wish to receive a pardon because they have done nothing wrong. On the other hand, Representative Bennie Thompson stated, “We had a discussion about pardons.  It wasn’t a particular pardon. … I said for me, as a member of the committee, if one is offered, I would accept it.”

If they are innocent of any crimes, it certainly wouldn’t be fun to be investigated by the DOJ, but all of these pardons for allies contribute to the understanding that those under the command of the president are free to do as they are ordered because they will ultimately receive a pardon – it establishes that the president’s underlings are above the law. 

Appointed officials should always be afraid of being prosecuted but instead we are seeing a disturbing trend towards unfettered corruption. Not only were Trump’s allies promised pardons once they were actually investigated or prosecuted, now presidential allies are promised preemptive pardons before any investigations can even take place.

If Biden does grant these preemptive pardons, he will also be telling all of Trump’s henchmen that they should have no inhibitions about following Trump’s most outrageous orders.

Rafael Perez is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. He is a doctoral candidate in philosophy at the University of Rochester. You can reach him at [email protected].

​ Orange County Register