As one of his final acts as United States president, Joe Biden handed out pardons to his siblings, their spouses and members of Congress who investigated the “January 6” riots.
These preemptive pardons came hours before Donald Trump was inaugurated as president and called for his political foes to be jailed once he took office.
Two key pardons he issued were for Dr Anothony Fauci and Mark Milley calling the threats against them “baseless” and “targeted” for political purposes.
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics," Biden said in a statement.
“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.”
He also said he is pardoning staff who served on the House January 6 select committee and the police officers who testified before it.
“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 offence,” Biden said.
Fauci led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and was the face of the U.S. response to COVID-19, which began in Trump’s first term in 2020. Milley served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which started in 2019 under Trump.
After Trump pushed back on health restrictions Fauci and other health experts advocated for, the two fell out before the 2020 election.
Fauci said he is “very appreciative” of the pardon and stood by Biden’s statement that the committee “did nothing wrong” and that “baseless accusations and threats” are real for him and his family.
In 2023, Trump accused Milley of treason after it was reported he called Chinese officials in the final days of the Trump administration to reassure them of U.S. political and military stability.
Milley defended the call and said he is “deeply grateful” for Biden’s pardoning him.
“After 43 years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights,” he said.
“I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”
Biden also pardoned his brother James Biden, James’ wife Sara Jones Biden, his younger sister Valerie Biden Owens, her husband John Owens and his brother Francis Biden for non-violent crimes.
This comes after the former president pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, last year.
The sweeping pardons for his family came under fire from many online.
“If you weren’t sure who the Deep State were, they all got pardoned today,” venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya reacted on X.
“The guy who claimed he would ‘protect norms’ continues to bulldoze them and the Constitution until the bitter end,” Republican Senator Eric Schmitt wrote.
