Biden grants preemptive pardons to Milley, Fauci and members of the commission that investigated the January 6 assault
cnn
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President Joe Biden on Monday issued pardons for Gen. Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci and congressmen who served on the commission that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol.
The pardons, which come in the final hours of his presidency, come after President-elect Donald Trump promised retaliation for those he believes opposed his first presidency.
“Our nation depends on dedicated and selfless public servants every day. “They are the soul of our democracy,” Biden wrote in a statement.
“However, alarmingly, public officials have been subject to continuous threats and intimidation for faithfully carrying out their obligations,” he added.
He was quick to point out that the pardons did not denote guilt.
“The granting of these pardons should not be misconstrued as an acknowledgment that any person has committed any crime, nor should their acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any crime. “Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to these public servants for their tireless commitment to our country,” he wrote.
Fauci served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades, including during the Covid outbreak in Trump’s first presidency, and Milley served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump’s first term and has warned that Trump He is a fascist.
As he weighed preemptive pardons in recent days, the president has made clear in conversations with aides that he does not believe those pardoned are guilty of any crime, and has expressed concern that the pardon could imply guilt, according to people familiar with the conversations.
Ultimately, Biden put those concerns aside with the view that providing protection would outweigh the potential implication of guilt.
In doing so, he is taking an unprecedented step in presidential history. Never before had preventive pardons of such magnitude been granted. When President Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon, the 37th president faced a real threat of impeachment. None of the people on Biden’s list appeared to be at risk of imminent legal action, but Biden believed the threat was real enough that protection was necessary.
In a statement to CNN, Milley said he and his family were “deeply grateful” for Biden’s action.
“After 43 years of faithful service in uniform to our nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not want to spend the time the Lord grants me fighting those who might unjustly seek retaliation for perceived slights,” Milley said.
Some of the people granted last-minute pardons were not notified, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
Earlier this month, the president told reporters that a factor weighing in his decision is whether Trump telegraphed any of his intentions for the possible prosecution of his political opponents in the days before his inauguration.
