Journalist Matt Taibbi suggested on Tucker Carlson’s podcast that President Biden’s preemptive pardons for figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, Liz Cheney, and others might backfire. Taibbi argued pardons strip recipients of Fifth Amendment protections, compelling them to testify in congressional or legal proceedings without invoking self-incrimination. Legal experts, including attorney Jesse Binnall, noted pardons don’t shield against perjury charges if they lie under oath, potentially aiding GOP-led investigations. Concerns over bias in Washington, D.C., courts prompted suggestions to hold testimonies elsewhere. Former President Trump criticized the pardons, calling Cheney a “disaster” and questioning why “guilty” individuals like Gen. Mark Milley were included. Critics speculate the pardons either reveal serious underlying crimes or were a strategic misstep, inadvertently aiding transparency efforts.