WASHINGTON (AP) — In his final moments as President of the United States and just hours before meeting ceremonially for tea with his successor, Joe Biden granted pardons to Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley, and members of the House of Representatives committee who conducted the investigation into the violent assault on the Capitol on January 6th.
Biden has used his exceptional presidential powers to protect these individuals from a possible "revenge" by the next government of Donald Trump.
These pardons cannot be suspended by another president.
Why did Biden grant these pardons?
Biden's determination arises after warnings from Trump about a list of adversaries made up of individuals who have politically challenged him or have sought to hold him accountable for his intention to overturn his defeat in the 2020 elections and his involvement in the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump has chosen candidates for his cabinet who supported his falsehoods about the elections and have promised to sanction those who participated in the attempts to investigate him.
For nearly four decades, Fauci led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, and served as Biden's top medical advisor until he retired in 2022. He played a crucial role in managing the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and drew Trump's ire by not supporting his baseless claims.
Fauci has become a target of strong disdain and rejection by conservative individuals, who blame him for the orders related to the use of masks and other measures that they consider a violation of their rights, even though tens of thousands of Americans were losing their lives.
Mark Milley, who previously chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Trump a fascist. In turn, the president-elect said of the general that he is a "progressive disaster" and that his actions have been "so atrocious that, in past times, the punishment would have been death." That post, which some interpreted as a threat, led Milley to ensure that his family is adequately protected.
The outgoing president also granted pardons to the members and staff of the January 6 committee, including former Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Republicans, as well as to the officers of the United States Capitol Police and the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police who testified before the committee investigating the violent attacks aimed at preventing the recognition of Joe Biden's electoral victory.
What did Biden say about these pardons?
"The granting of these pardons should not be confused with a recognition that any individual participated in a crime, nor should the acceptance be misinterpreted as an admission of guilt for any crime," Biden said in a statement. "Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to these public servants for their tireless commitment to our country."
He also added that “these are exceptional circumstances and, in conscience, I cannot do anything.”