US President Joe Biden on Monday issued pre-emptive pardons for people whom Republican successor Donald Trump has targeted for retaliation, among them former Republican legislator Liz Cheney, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and former White House chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci.
The pardon covers all legislators, including Cheney, who were part of the congressional select committee that investigated the assault on the United States Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, as well as the police officers who testified before him.
Trump, who returned to the presidency on Monday, has repeatedly called for the persecution of his perceived enemies since he won the White House in November.
Biden praised public officials as the “soul of our democracy.” Not to mention Trump, expressed alarm that some of them were subjected to threats and intimidation for doing their work.
“These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be subjected to unjustified and politically motivated persecution,” Biden said in a statement.
The United States Constitution gives the president broad powers to pardon federal crimes. Although pardons are usually granted to people who have been prosecuted, they can cover conduct that has not given rise to a judicial process.
In December, Trump backed a call for the FBI to investigate fellow Republican Cheney. for his role leading the Congressional investigation into the assault on the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
Fauci clashed often with Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic, and Trump supporters have continued to attack the former top health official.
Fauci told Reuters that the White House had been in contact about the issue a month ago. and that he had not requested clemency. “I appreciate the president reaching out and trying to protect me from unfounded accusations,” Fauci said. “I have done nothing wrong and this is not an admission of guilt.”
Milley, who was Trump’s top military adviser between 2019 and early 2021, He said he was “deeply grateful” for Biden’s pardon in a statement.
Exceptional circumstances
Trump’s rivalry with Milley ran deep. After January 6, Milley called Beijing to assure China of the stability of the United States. Trump, in a social media post, described the call as “an act so heinous that, in times past, the punishment would have been death.”
Some of Trump’s supporters, viewing Milley as disloyal, They demanded that he be recalled to active duty and tried for treason.
Milley made a veiled mockery of Trump during his 2023 retirement speech, saying that American troops swear by the Constitution and not a “wannabe dictator.” Trump later in the day lashed out with a series of insults, calling Milley “slow of movement and slow of thought” and a “moron.”
Milley was quoted in Bob Woodward’s book “War,” which was published last month, calling Trump “a fascist to the core.” and Trump’s allies have attacked him for perceived disloyalty toward the former president.
Reuters reported in November that Trump’s transition team was drawing up a list of military officials considered related to Milley to be fired. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon, repeatedly lashed out at Milley in his latest book, uttering profanities.
Biden praised both Milley and Fauci as long-time dedicated public servants who have defended democracy and saved lives. He said the select committee created to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol had accomplished its mission with integrity.
Without identifying the individuals, he pardoned all members of Congress who served on the committee, their staff, and the Capitol and Washington DC police officers who testified before the committee.
Biden said those pardoned had done nothing wrong, but that the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted could damage their reputation and finances.
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” he said. “But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”
The pardons drew immediate criticism from Trump’s alliesincluding U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said in X that the officials were pardoned “because they are guilty of crimes.”
Biden pardoned his son Hunter in December, after repeatedly saying he would not do so. Hunter is a recovering drug addict who became a target of Republicans and pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms charges.
