Democratic Representative Brendan Boyle has asked President Joe Biden to give "blanket pardons" to individuals on a list of "enemies" created by Kash Patel, Donald Trump's choice to become the next FBI director.
Boyle, who represents a congressional district consisting of parts of Philadelphia, sounded the alarm about the "enemies list" included in Patel's book Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy.
In a statement released Wednesday, Boyle wrote that choosing Patel to lead the FBI "made it clear" that the president-elect is "more focused on settling personal scores than on protecting the American people or upholding the rule of law."
"The people they're targeting include law enforcement officers, military personnel, and others who have spent their lives protecting this country," he said. "These patriots shouldn't have to live in fear of political retribution for doing what's right. That's why I'm urging President Biden to issue a blanket pardon for anyone unjustly targeted by this vindictive scheme."
Newsweek reached out via email to the White House and Trump's transition team for comment.
The list includes a number of individuals, both Democrats and Republicans, who have publicly sparred with Trump over the years, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden himself and several members of his administration.
The list also features individuals who served in Trump's White House but have become Trump critics, such as Alyssa Farah Griffin, his former director of strategic communications and now a co-host of The View, and his former press secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Boyle warned that Democrats need to "act with urgency" to resist Trump, who indicated on the campaign trail that he would seek revenge against those he feels unjustly targeted him.
"If we're serious about stopping Trump's authoritarian ambitions, we need to act decisively and use every tool at our disposal," Boyle wrote. "Norms and traditions alone won't stop him—Trump has shown time and again that he's willing to ignore them to consolidate power and punish his opponents."
For his part, Trump has rejected claims that he would seek retribution in his second term.
"I am not looking for retribution, grandstanding or to destroy people who treated me very unfairly or even badly beyond comprehension," he said on Fox News in November. "I am always looking to give a second and even third chance, but never willing to give a fourth chance—that is where I hold the line."
If confirmed by the Senate, Patel would replace Christopher Wray, whom Trump appointed to lead the FBI in 2017. Patel has made a reputation as a Trump loyalist, serving as senior adviser to the acting director of national intelligence, chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense and an unspecified role with the National Security Council during Trump's first term.
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