Biden Grants Preemptive Pardons to General Milley and Several Former Officials

On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a "preemptive pardon" for a group of politicians and former officials, including former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and former White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci. This pardon also includes all lawmakers who participated in the congressional select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, as well as police officers who testified before this committee. Biden praised government employees as the "lifeblood of our democracy" and expressed concern that some of them have faced threats and intimidation for performing their duties, stating, "These public servants have served our nation proudly and clearly, and they do not deserve to be the targets of unwarranted and politically motivated prosecutions." Anthony Fauci frequently clashed with Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led Trump supporters to continuously attack the former health official. In Bob Woodward's recently published book "Peril," Mark Milley is quoted as saying Trump is "a fascist to the core," and Trump allies have targeted him for disloyalty to the former president. Milley expressed his "deep gratitude" for Biden's pardon. Biden commended both Milley and Fauci as dedicated and experienced public servants who defended democracy and saved lives. He also stated that the select committee formed to investigate the January 6 attack conducted its mission with integrity, and without naming each individual, he pardoned all members of this committee, their staff, and all Capitol and Washington D.C. police officers who testified before it. Biden noted that the pardoned individuals committed no wrongdoing, but even their questioning or trial could harm their credibility and financial situation. This pardon faced immediate criticism from Trump allies, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wrote on "X" that these pardoned officials are "guilty of these crimes." Last month, Biden also commuted the sentences of about 1,500 individuals who were released from prison during the COVID-19 pandemic and were under house arrest, and pardoned 39 others convicted of non-violent crimes. This was the largest single-day pardon action in contemporary U.S. history. This broad pardon came after Biden pardoned his son Hunter, who was convicted of gun and tax-related offenses. The Republican backlash to Biden's pardon order for his son has been fierce, as Biden pardons and commutes sentences for 1,500 individuals.