Joe Biden has preemptively pardoned many people, including Covid response chief Anthony Fauci and members of the January 6 riot investigation, to prevent “unjustified… politically motivated prosecutions.”
President Trump, who will take office late Monday, has clashed regularly with Dr. Fauci during the pandemic and has suggested he will take action against those who try to hold him accountable for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Biden also granted a preemptive pardon to retired Gen. Mark Milley, who described Trump as “fascist to the core” and “dangerous.”
“Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless dedication,” the outgoing President of the United States said.
“These public servants have served our country with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be subjected to unjust and politically motivated prosecutions,” former Vice President Biden said in a statement.
He added that the pardon “should not be misconstrued as an admission” that any of the recipients “were involved in any crime.”
Democrats warned the outgoing president against such actions. California Sen. Adam Schiff said Biden could set “a precedent for each future president to issue a broad pardon.”
Last December, Trump supported the FBI’s call to investigate fellow Republican Liz Cheney for her role in leading the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 riot.
Fauci, who oversaw the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has frequently been criticized by President Trump and his political allies.
Gen. Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told journalist Bob Woodward last year that he feared that President Trump would be put back in uniform and court-martialed for “disloyalty.”
According to Woodward, he warned his colleagues that Trump was “a walking, talking advertisement for what he was trying to do.” He noted that Steve Bannon, a key Trump ally, has vowed to “hold him accountable.”
Biden’s pardons include members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riots, as well as staffers and police officers who testified.
President Trump plans to pardon some of those convicted of crimes related to the riots.
“You’re going to see something tomorrow,” Trump said, referring to the rioters on January 6. “I think you’ll be very, very happy.”
On the campaign trail, Trump sometimes denounced “enemies within” and supported several men who have pledged revenge against his enemies to join his Cabinet.
But his choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi, said at her confirmation hearing last week: There will never be an enemy list And she will not use the Justice Department to target anyone based on politics.
