In a move seen as a preemptive strike against potential persecution by the incoming Trump administration, President Joe Biden issued pardons for several high-profile individuals, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6th Capitol attack. Biden's decision, taken in his final hours in office, sparked debate and raised questions about the unprecedented use of presidential pardoning power.
In his final hours in office, President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons for a number of individuals, including Dr. Anthony Fauci , retired Gen. Mark Milley , and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6th attack on the Capitol. This move, utilizing the extraordinary powers of his presidency, was seen as a safeguard against potential repercussions from the incoming Trump administration.
President-elect Donald Trump was scheduled to be sworn into office later on Monday morning. \Biden's decision followed Trump's warnings of an 'enemies list' targeting those who had politically opposed him or sought to hold him accountable for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his role in the January 6th Capitol riot. Biden's pardons extended to members and staff of the January 6th committee, encompassing former Republican Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California, and U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the committee. Trump, on the other hand, has selected Cabinet nominees who supported his election fraud claims and pledged to punish those involved in investigations against him. \'The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,' Biden stated in a press release. 'Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.' Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health for nearly 40 years and Biden's chief medical advisor until his retirement in 2022, played a pivotal role in coordinating the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He drew Trump's ire when he refused to endorse Trump's baseless claims regarding the virus. Fauci became a target of intense vitriol from right-wing individuals who blamed him for mask mandates and other policies they perceived as infringing on their rights. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, criticized Trump as a fascist and detailed Trump's conduct surrounding the January 6th insurrection. \Presidents typically grant clemency at the end of their term, but these acts are usually extended to ordinary Americans convicted of crimes. Biden's actions mark the broadest and most unprecedented use of this power: pardoning individuals who have not even been investigated. Acceptance of these pardons carries a tacit admission of guilt or wrongdoing, even though the pardoned individuals have not been formally charged with any crimes. 'These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,' Biden asserted. He added that 'even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.' \President Biden also pardoned his siblings and their spouses on Monday, coinciding with the inauguration of Donald Trump. He issued blanket pardons for his brother James and his wife, Sara, his sister Valerie and her husband, John Owens, and his brother Francis. In December 2024, Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, for tax and gun crimes. Biden stated that his family had been 'subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics,' according to the Associated Press. \Biden has set a record for the most individual pardons and commutations issued by any president. On Friday, he announced the commutation of sentences for almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. Last month, he announced the commutation of sentences for approximately 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed in home confinement during the pandemic, as well as the pardoning of 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. Last month, Biden also commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. Additionally, Biden pardoned his son Hunter, not just for his convictions on federal gun and tax violations, but for any potential federal offense committed over an 11-year period, as he feared Trump allies would seek to prosecute his son for other offenses
Joe Biden Donald Trump Pardons Anthony Fauci Mark Milley January 6Th Committee Enemies List Presidential Clemency
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