President Joe Biden has pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, using the powers of his office in his final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by the incoming Trump administration.
The decision by Biden is being painted by the incumbent as a preemptive move against potential retaliation from Trump, rather than any sort of admission of guilt.
“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,” Biden said in a statement. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”
Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy.
Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.
In certain cases, some have even been…
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 20, 2025
It’s customary for a president to grant clemency at the end of his term, but those acts of mercy are usually offered to everyday Americans who have been convicted of crimes.
But Biden has used the power in the broadest and most untested way possible: to pardon those who have not even been investigated yet.
And with the acceptance comes a tacit admission of guilt or wrongdoing, even though those who have been pardoned have not been formally accused of any crimes.
“These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,” Biden said, adding that “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.”
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Fauci was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health for nearly 40 years and was Biden’s chief medical adviser until his retirement in 2022.
He helped coordinate the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a response which has been highly criticized as more detail and medical information comes to light.
Fauci himself has been a lightning rod of criticism, as many blame him for tyrannical mask mandates and other policies that infringed on their rights.
Mark Milley is the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has since become a fierce critic of the 47th president, even launching baseless accusations that Trump is a “fascist.”
Biden is also extending pardons to members and staff of the Jan. 6 committee, including former Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both nominal Republicans (Trump often derides both as “Republicans in name only”) as well as the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the committee.
Biden, an alleged institutionalist, has promised a smooth transition to the next administration, inviting Trump to the White House and saying that the nation will be OK, even as he warned during his farewell address of a growing oligarchy.
His rhetoric further conflicts with his years-old warning that Trump’s ascension to the presidency again would be a threat to democracy.
Biden is basically citing those conflicting concerns for why he is breaking political norms with his preemptive pardons.
Biden has set the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued; he announced on Friday he would commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.
He previously announced he was commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
Families of the victims of the commuted criminals have been less than thrilled with Biden’s pardon spree.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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