Biden Pardons Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, Liz Cheney and 5 More Biden Family Members
During his final hours in office, just before President Donald Trump could be inaugurated as his successor, President Biden issued preemptive pardons for some controversial public officials who have dominated headlines in recent years.
And then, just a few hours later, as Trump's Inauguration was capturing all the headlines, Biden also issued sweeping pardons for all of his siblings and their spouses just minutes before he left office.
Though none of them have been convicted of crimes, Biden announced he's pardoning Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, and everyone involved in the January 6 congressional investigation, which would include outspoken Trump critics like ousted Rep. Liz Cheney.
Biden says he took the extraordinary step to prevent the Trump administration from prosecuting those people because he's concerned they'll be targeted with "unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions."
"I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances," Biden said.
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The Fauci Pardon
Fauci was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health for nearly 40 years. Some officials like Sen. Rand Paul have fiercely questioned Fauci under oath to determine if he played a significant role in creating the coronavirus that led to the global pandemic.
After Biden's unprecedented pardons were announced this morning, legal scholar Jonathan Turley posted on X, "...In the case of Fauci, some members such as Sen. Paul have suggested that he lied under oath repeatedly about his knowledge of gain-to-function work at the Wuhan lab. If called again, he would have to repeat or disavow the earlier testimony."
Turley further explained, "...In reality, these pardons will not absolutely protect these individuals from being subpoenaed to give new testimony on prior claims. Lying in such interviews or hearings would constitute new criminal acts..."
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Seeking to defend his reputation, Fauci quickly released a statement saying he appreciates Biden's pardon, but he contends he has committed no crime and doesn't think anyone has grounds to prosecute him.
Unprecedented
Biden's decision to grant clemency to people who haven't even been investigated is the broadest and most unprecedented use of presidential pardon powers in U.S. history. The decision opens the door for future presidents to do the same thing, or possibly to expand presidential pardons even further.
It's unclear if the legality of such preemptive pardons could be challenged in court.
Pardoning His Family
Meanwhile, Biden also took a shocking step to pardon all of his siblings and their spouses as well. The announcement was released during Trump's inauguration ceremony.
Claiming he was taking the step to protect his family from "unrelenting attacks and threats," Biden issued blanket pardons for his brother James and his wife, Sara, his sister Valerie and her husband, John Owens, and his brother Francis.
Back in December, President Biden also caused controversy by broadly pardoning his son Hunter Biden. That pardon went beyond Hunter's gun and tax charges, covering any offenses he committed or may have committed over a ten-year period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.
Republican Congressman James Comer, who chaired one of the House probes into possible Biden family crimes, said in a statement, "The charges Hunter faced were just the tip of the iceberg... President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability."
Meanwhile, President Biden has now broken the record for most individual pardons and commutations ever issued by a U.S. president. He also announced on Friday that he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.
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