President Joe Biden pardons Dr. Anthony Fauci during final hours in office

President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. 

In an extraordinary use of presidential powers in his final hours, Biden sought to guard against potential "revenge" by the incoming Trump administration.

The decision follows Donald Trump's warning of an enemies list targeting those who opposed him politically or held him accountable for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. 

Trump has chosen Cabinet nominees who backed his election falsehoods and sworn to punish those involved in investigating him.

Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci responds as he testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, July 20, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (J. Scott Applewhite-Pool/Getty Images)

Fauci, who coordinated the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, drew Trump's ire by refusing to support his unfounded claims.

Fauci has since become a target of intense hatred from the right, who blame him for mask mandates and other policies they believe infringed on their rights, even as tens of thousands of Americans died.

Retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Trump a fascist and detailed Trump's conduct around the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Statement from President Joe Biden after pardoning Dr. Anthony Fauci 

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.  

In certain cases, some have even been threatened with criminal prosecutions, including General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, and the members and staff of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions.  

General Milley served our nation for more than 40 years, serving in multiple command and leadership posts and deploying to some of the most dangerous parts of the world to protect and defend democracy.  As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he guided our Armed Forces through complex global security threats and strengthened our existing alliances while forging new ones.

For more than half a century, Dr. Fauci served our country. He saved countless lives by managing the government’s response to pressing health crises, including HIV/AIDS, as well as the Ebola and Zika viruses.  During his tenure as my Chief Medical Advisor, he helped the country tackle a once-in-a-century pandemic.  The United States is safer and healthier because of him.

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.

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, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.  Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.  Even when individuals have done nothing wrong—and in fact have done the right thing—and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.

That is why I am exercising my authority under the Constitution to pardon General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Members of Congress and staff who served on the Select Committee, and the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the Select Committee.  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.  Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.

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