Biden pardons Milley, Fauci, and Cheney to save them from Trump’s reprisals

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday granted preemptive pardons to individuals that Republican successor Donald Trump has singled out for retaliation, including former White House chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci, former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney, and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley.

All members of the congressional select committee who looked into the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, including Cheney, as well as the police officers who appeared before the committee, are covered by the pardon.

Since regaining the president in November, Trump, who will take office again later Monday, has advocated for the prosecution of his alleged adversaries.

Biden hailed public service as the “lifeblood of our democracy.” He voiced concern that some of them had been threatened and intimidated for carrying out their duties, without identifying Trump.

“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,” Biden stated in a release.

He was “deeply grateful” for Biden’s pardon, Milley added.

In December, Trump endorsed a request that the FBI look into fellow Republican Cheney’s involvement in spearheading Congress’ investigation into his followers’ Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, Fauci and Trump frequently disagreed, and Trump’s followers have persisted in disparaging the former top health officer.

Milley called Trump “fascist to the core” in his book “War,” written by Bob Woodward and released last month. Trump’s supporters have persecuted him for allegedly betraying the previous president.

According to a November Reuters story, the Trump transition team was compiling a list of military commanders who were suspected of having ties to Milley and would be let go.

Milley and Fauci were both hailed by Biden as longstanding, devoted public workers who have protected democracy and saved lives. He said that the select committee that was set up to look into the attack on the Capitol on January 6 had carried out its duties honorably.

He granted pardons to all members of Congress who were on the panel, their staff, and the police officers who testified before the committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., without naming the individuals.

Even if people who were pardoned had done nothing wrong, Biden warned that just being looked at or charged might damage one’s income and reputation.

“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” he declared. “But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s loyalists, immediately criticized the pardons, stating on X that the officials were released “because they are GUILTY OF CRIMES.”