Democrats, and those who caucus with Democrats such as Sanders, have had mixed opinions about Biden issuing preemptive pardons for politicians and officials who have been strong critics of Trump, such as those who were on the now-defunct House Jan. 6 committee. Sanders told NBC News’s Meet the Press, however, that the outgoing president should at least consider taking such action.

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Host Kristen Welker asked the lawmaker whether he believes Biden should do so especially in light of Trump’s statement that members of the committee should “go to jail.”

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“Well, I think he might want to consider that very seriously. Look, that is an outrageous statement. This is what authoritarianism is all about. It’s what dictatorship is all about. You do not arrest elected officials who disagree with you, who undertake an investigation,” Sanders said.

The Vermont senator also pointed to comments from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) earlier in the show, who gave a firm “no” when he was asked whether they should be jailed.

“So all of us, and I would tell you, Kristen, I think there are a lot of Republicans — you just heard Lindsey Graham make that statement — I think that idea of Trump is not going to go very far. It is so, quite outrageous,” Sanders added.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who served on the defunct House committee, said on ABC News’s This Week that he would not want a preemptive pardon, arguing it could set a bad precedent for future presidents to issue such sweeping pardons.

Sanders also said that Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, issued earlier this month, sets a “bad precedent” with how wide-ranging it is.

“I think the precedent being set is kind of a dangerous one. It was a very – a wide-open pardon, which could, under different circumstances, lead to problems in terms of future presidents,” Sanders said, while also noting he understood why Biden wanted to protect his family.