President Joe Biden has issued pardons to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, and other public servants he believes are being targeted for political purposes. The pardons came just hours before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Biden stated that those being pardoned have served their nation with honor and distinction, and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions. He added that the rule of law and the strength of legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics.
Those receiving pardons include Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and was the face of the US response to the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Milley served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2019.
Fauci and Milley both faced criticism and vilification from Trump and his Republican supporters. The 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 stated.
The outgoing Democratic president is also pardoning staff who served on the House Jan. 6 select committee and the police officers who testified before it.
Milley expressed his gratitude for the pardon, stating that after 43 years of faithful service in uniform, he does not want to spend whatever remaining time God grants him fighting those who may seek retribution for perceived slights.