Just hours before the end of his term in office, President Biden granted a series of preemptive pardons to individuals who could find themselves targeted by the incoming Trump administration. The pardon recipients include Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley and all members of the special commission appointed to investigate the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
“Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy,” Biden said in a statement concerning the pardons.
He then added, “Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.”
One of the terms that has synthesized Trump’s campaign and will most likely be central to his second term is indeed “retribution.”
In fact, Trump has threatened to seek revenge on his political opponents, particularly targeting former Republican Liz Cheney, who served on the January 6th commission. Furthermore, Trump has repeatedly stated that both Cheney and all the members of the commission should “be put in jail.”
Mark Milley, who retired in 2023 from his post as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has long been a target of Republican attacks on troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. He later called Trump a fascist for his conduct and responsibility for the assault on the Capitol.
Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had a complex and at times tumultuous relationship with Trump during his first term, in particular the two often confronted each other over the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Milley then released a statement regarding the pardon he just received, “My family and I are deeply grateful for the President’s action today,” he said. “After forty-three 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.”
Despite his intentions to give a shield to these individuals, Biden has also received criticism from his own party, particularly about the danger of setting risky precedents.
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who also served on the Jan. 6 committee, laid out his concerns, and said, “The precedent of giving blanket pardons, preemptive blanket pardons on the way out of an administration, I think is a precedent we don’t want to set.”
President Biden, however, justified these acts as he fears that scenarios of political violence such as those that occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, could occur again.
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” Biden affirmed. “But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do anything. Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.”
