Doina Chiac
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday issued preemptive pardons for people Republican successor Donald Trump has targeted for retaliation, including former Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci.
The pardon also includes all lawmakers who served on a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters and police officers who testified before it.
Trump, who will return to the presidency later on Monday, has repeatedly called for the prosecution of his enemies since winning the White House in November.
Biden praised public servants as “the lifeblood of our democracy.” Without mentioning Trump, he expressed concern that some of them had been subjected to threats and intimidation for doing their jobs.
“These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecution,” Biden said in a statement.
In December, Trump supported a call for the FBI to investigate fellow Republican Liz Cheney for her role in leading a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.
Fauci has frequently clashed with Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his supporters have continued to attack the former top health official.
Milley is quoted in the book “War” by Bob Forester (NASDAQ: ), which went public last month, calling Trump a “fascist to the core,” and has been targeted by Trump allies for perceived disloyalty to the former president.
Reuters reported in November that Trump’s transition team was compiling a list of military officers believed to have ties to Milley to fire.
