Michael Hernandez
20 January 2025•Update: 20 January 2025
WASHINGTON
Outgoing US President Joe Biden issued last-minute pardons Monday for a slate of potential targets of the incoming Trump administration in a bid to prevent "revenge" against Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by President-elect Donald Trump's supporters.
Biden said the public servants have been "subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties" without explicitly naming Trump. But speculation has run rampant that the individuals would face prosecution under Trump's incoming team after years of his vocal criticism of them, including in recent weeks. In a 2023 book, Kash Patel, now Trump’s pick for CIA chief, included a list of 60 targets for prosecution.
In a statement released just hours before he leaves office, Biden wrote: "I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing. Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.”
He added: "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. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”
Milley served as Trump's Joint Chiefs chairman, and has been a critical voice of the incoming president, warning service members in his outgoing address that "we don’t take an oath to a king or a queen or to a tyrant or a dictator. And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator" – remarks largely seen as a reference to Trump.
Fauci was the architect of the US' COVID-19 response, and was instrumental in policies implemented by Trump which he is now critical of, including lockdowns and vaccine mandates. For years, Trump’s base has called for Fauci’s imprisonment over conspiratorial offenses.
Biden did not specify individuals within the Jan. 6 committee he granted proactive pardons to, instead granting blanket protections to all members of Congress and staff who participated in the body, as well as law enforcement officers who testified before the panel.
"These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions," said Biden.
