President Biden preemptively pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and members of the Jan. 6 commission on Monday, in the final hours of his presidency.
In a statement, the president explained that those he pardoned did not deserve to be “subjected to unwarranted and politically motivated prosecution.” Biden has previously indicated he is considering pardoning Fauci and others, but the final decision will depend on who President-elect Donald Trump appoints. (Related: ‘This is highly illegal’: Experts say Fauci’s aides may have violated the law by using private accounts to delete emails)
“I believe in the rule of law and am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately trump politics,” Biden said in a tweet. “However, this is an exceptional situation and nothing can be done in good conscience. A baseless and politically motivated investigation will threaten the life, safety and economic security of the targeted individuals and their families. wreak havoc.”
Our nation depends on dedicated and selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy.
Alarmingly, however, public servants continue to face threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.
In some cases…
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 20, 2025
Announced by the House Oversight Committee. report In May 2024, former senior adviser to Mr. Fauci David Morens deleted emails to avoid Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and It was revealed that he had told people multiple times to contact him at an email address. The aide also suggested in emails to Fauci obtained by the House committee that he was using a private email address to conduct government business. Morens also directed others to communicate with Fauci using private email addresses for similar reasons.
“This is highly illegal,” Matthew Hardin, a lawyer who specializes in FOIA-related matters, previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“The Federal Records Act establishes strict requirements for agencies to retain agency records for a variety of reasons, including to facilitate agency compliance with the Freedom of Information Act,” he continued. Ta. “This means that those conducting agency business through ‘secret’ back channels or Gmail can still create federal records, even if they are improperly hiding records in personal accounts that are not under government control. It means there is.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a White House press conference moderated by Press Secretary Jen Psaki in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on January 21, 2021 in Washington. D.C. Psaki held her second press conference yesterday since President Joe Biden took office. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Mr. Biden had previously considered pardoning Mr. Fauci and the Jan. 6 Committee, as well as Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat; said CNN said he did not want the gesture.
“That would set the wrong precedent. I don’t want to see future presidents granting broad types of pardons as they leave office,” Schiff said in a Jan. 6 interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. He spoke at
Biden added that public officials increasingly face “ongoing threats and intimidation,” and said a final pardon would leave Milley, Fauci and others “subject to unwarranted and politically motivated prosecution.” “I don’t deserve it,” he said.
“The issuance of these pardons should not be misconstrued as an admission that an individual has engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should the acceptance of a pardon be an admission of guilt for any crime. “We owe a debt of gratitude to these public servants for their tireless dedication to our country,” the president wrote.
