House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) warned that the “unprecedented” preemptive pardons granted by President Joe Biden would have drastic effects on future congressional testimonies, specifically due to how the immunity these pardons grant.
Biden, who is leaving the White House on Monday, granted preemptive pardons to Gen. Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of the former House Jan. 6 committee in his final hours as president, prompting harsh criticism online. In assessing these “worrisome” new pardons, Harris argued that many people who were just granted pardons “lied to Congress,” specifically noting how Fauci misled Congress on the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“The bottom line is this is unfathomable,” Harris said on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria Bartiromo, guest-hosted by Cheryl Casone. “Basically, most Americans think that pardons are for crimes that you have actually committed and been guilty of and found guilty of. This is, again, very unprecedented.”
Harris continued that these pardons, which also apply to law enforcement officers who testified before the Jan. 6 committee, interfere with how Congress operates, as future people can say “whatever they want” when testifying before Congress with the hope of getting immunity in the future. He specifically noted how former Rep. Liz Cheney, a former member of the committee, is accused of conspiring with witnesses, and Congress should be able to issue a contempt charge.
Besides Harris, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has also harshly criticized Biden’s last-minute pardons, specifically the pardon to Fauci and how it “forever seals the deal” that he bears responsibility for the pandemic. He added that this “ignominious” pardon means Fauci will go down as “the first government scientist to be preemptively pardoned for a crime.”
If there was ever any doubt as to who bears responsibility for the COVID pandemic, Biden’s pardon of Fauci forever seals the deal.
As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee I will not rest until the entire truth of the coverup is exposed.…
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 20, 2025
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The latest preemptive pardons comes after Biden issued a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, for any crimes he may have committed over the course of 11 years, beginning in 2014. Republicans have accused Joe Biden of leveraging his political power to help his son conduct sham business dealings, an accusation that Joe and Hunter Biden have both denied.
Prior to leaving the White House, Biden stated in a speech on Sunday that he is “not going anywhere” once he is finished with his presidency. President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated on Monday, four years after he finished his first term as president.
