In one of his final acts as president, Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to several people considered enemies by Donald Trump and his allies and threatened criminal investigations. The pardons came hours before Biden was set to welcome Trump to the White House for tea before the presidential inauguration.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institutes of Health who helped oversee the nation's response to the Covid-19 pandemic; and retired general Mark Milley, a critic of Trump who suggested that to execute him; members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including former Rep. Liz Cheney, were pardoned by the outgoing president.
"These are extraordinary circumstances and I cannot in good conscience stand by and watch," Biden wrote in a statement on Monday. "A baseless and politically motivated investigation threatens the lives, safety and security of the targeted individuals and their families." Economic security wreaked havoc.”
"The issuance of a pardon should not be misconstrued as an admission that any individual is guilty of any wrongdoing, nor should it be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any crime," he added. "Our country owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their contribution to Our country’s tireless devotion.”
Fauci has long been at the center of Covid-19 conspiracy theories, with right-wingers claiming, among other things, that he was the mastermind behind a nefarious plot to spark the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Countless conservatives, including many conservative lawmakers, have called for him to be investigated or worse. Trump also criticized him. "People are tired of COVID. I had the biggest rallies ever, and we have COVID," Trump told campaign staff in October 2020. "People say whatever they want. Leave us alone. They're tired of it. People are tired of Fauci and all these idiots saying it."
Gen. Mark Milley, who is retiring in 2023, has long been at odds with Trump, especially on Jan. 6. In 2023, Trump blasted Milley as a "woke train wreck" on Truth Social while fuming about Milley's call to him. Comforting a Chinese general after the Capitol attack. Milley testified that multiple Trump officials were aware of the calls, but Trump wasn't happy when they were reported in Bob Woodward's book Danger. "If the fake news reports are true, (Miley) is actually dealing with China to let them know what the President of the United States is thinking," Trump wrote. "This behavior is extremely egregious and in the past, the penalty was the death penalty!"
Milley thanked Biden for Monday's pardon. "For forty-three years, I have faithfully served our country, protected and defended the Constitution, and I do not want to spend the remaining time the Lord has given me fighting against those who unjustly seek revenge," Milley said. "I do not want to spend the remaining time the Lord has given me. "I leave my family, friends, and those I serve with with the distraction, expense, and anxiety this creates."
Trump also has long expressed dissatisfaction with lawmakers who investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and ultimately voted to turn Trump over for criminal charges. He made it clear that these congressmen and former congressmen should go to jail, and retweeted a meme on the Truth Society calling Liz Cheney guilty of treason and suggesting that she should undergo a televised court martial.
Notably, Biden has yet to pardon former special counsel Jack Smith, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg or anyone else directly involved in the criminal investigation of the incoming president people.