Biden preemptively pardons Fauci, Milley and Jan. 6 committee in chilling last-minute move

Hours before leaving office, President Joe Biden continued his race to issue pre-emptive pardons for those he deemed to be “targets” of the incoming administration.

In a telling move, the outgoing Democrat threw a protective blanket over Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark A. Milley, as well as members of the House Jan. 6 committee – including their staff.

“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 said in a statement Monday.

(Video Credit: Fox News)

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 noted, saying the quiet part out loud.

The nation, he insisted, “owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”

Members of the Jan. 6 committee included Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who was then a House member; former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Elaine Luria (D-VA), and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL); and current Reps. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS).

The Associated Press noted:

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. “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.”

Biden “set the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued,” the AP noted after the outgoing president announced last week that almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses would have their sentences commuted. This followed his move to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.

In his latest move, Biden said “These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”

Rep. Bennie Thompson, who led the Jan. 6 committee, indicated last week that he would accept a preemptive pardon from the president if it was offered.

“Because there are a lot of people who take this person at his word, and I don’t want him to weaponize (the) government against people for doing their job,” Thompson told CBS News in an interview.

However, California Democrat Rep. Pete Aguilar had a different take, saying “We didn’t do anything wrong.” Former Rep. Adam Kinzingersaid said he could “understand the theory behind it because Donald Trump has clearly said he’s going to go after everybody,” but added, “The second you take a pardon, it looks like you’re guilty of something.”

“I’m guilty of nothing besides bringing the truth to the American people and in the process, embarrassing Donald Trump,” the so-called Republican told CNN.

Those preemptive pardons as well as the ones for Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, sparked rage on social media.

Frieda Powers

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles