In his final hours in office, former President Joe Biden issued “preemptive” pardons to Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark A. Milley, and all members of Congress who served on the January 6 Committee, their staff and the police who testified before the committee.
Then, just 15 minutes before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Biden issued preemptive pardons for five immediate family members: his younger brother James and James’ wife, Sara; his younger sister Valerie Owens and her husband, John; and his younger brother Francis.
In announcing the pardons of Dr. Fauci, General Milley and the January 6 Committee, then-President Biden said in a statement:
Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy. Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.
Toward the end of the statement, he explained that the acts of clemency did not mean those individuals had done anything wrong:
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 offense.
Dr. Fauci’s pardon declared “A Full And Unconditional Pardon”:
FOR ANY OFFENSES against the United Stales which he may have committed or taken part in during the period from January I, 2014, through the date of this pardon arising from or in any manner related to his service as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force or the White House COVID-19 Response Team, or as Chief Medical Advisor to the President.”
“Fauci told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl he accepted the pardon and is grateful for it,” reported Good Morning America. Karl quoted Dr. Fauci saying:
I really truly appreciate the action President Biden has taken today on my behalf. Let me be perfectly clear, Jon, I have committed no crime, you know that, and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me.
General Milley also thanked President Biden, as Fox News reported:
My family and I are deeply grateful for the President’s action today. 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.
Milley’s pardon likewise goes back to January 1, 2014, and includes but is “not limited to any offenses under the United States Code or the Uniform Code of Military Justice … arising from or in an any manner related to his service as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
In a statement, Biden explained his reasons for preemptively pardoning the members of Congress who served on the January 6 committee, their staff, and police officers who testified before the select committee:
On January 6, 2021, American democracy was tested when a mob of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol in an attempt to overturn a fair and free election by force and violence. In light of the significance of that day, Congress established the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol to investigate and report upon the facts, circumstances, and causes of the insurrection. The Select Committee fulfilled this mission with integrity and a commitment to discovering the truth.
Rather than accept accountability, those who perpetrated the January 6th attack have taken every opportunity to undermine and intimidate those who participated in the Select Committee in an attempt to rewrite history, erase the stain of January 6th for partisan gain, and seek revenge, including by threatening criminal prosecutions.
Hours after those pardons, in his final minutes before leaving office, Biden announced a “Full And Unconditional Pardon” for his family members:
For any nonviolent offences against the United States which they may have committed or taken part in during the period from January l, 2014, through the date of this pardon.
In a statement about these final acts of clemency, Biden explained:
My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me – the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.
He added, “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense.”
Photo from Getty Images.
The post Biden Preemptively Pardons Anthony Fauci, January 6 Committee, Family Members appeared first on Daily Citizen.
Daily Citizen
