Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world
Joe Biden has issued pre-emptive pardons to Anthony Fauci, Liz Cheney and Mark Milley, hours before he relinquishes the US presidency to Donald Trump, who has vowed retribution against political foes.
The outgoing president’s last-ditch move to protect high-profile figures from possible future prosecution comes after Biden has already made sweeping use of his powers of clemency in the run-up to his departure from the White House.
It also precedes what many expect to be a flurry of activity by Trump as soon as he takes office later on Monday.
Trump has threatened Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to the president, with legal action over his role in overseeing the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Milley, a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, has a long history of animosity with Trump, warning in the run-up to last year’s election that he was a “fascist to the core”.
On Monday Milley said he and his family were “deeply grateful” for Biden’s action, adding: “After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights.”
Cheney, a prominent Republican, campaigned for Kamala Harris during last year’s presidential election and served as vice-chair of the Congressional investigation into the January 6 2021 storming of the US Capitol.
Biden said he was pardoning the members of Congress and staff who served on the committee as well as police officers who testified to it.
“Alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties,” he said in a statement.
Last year, the outgoing president controversially issued a pardon for Hunter Biden, his son, to spare him from possible prison sentences in connection with federal gun and tax convictions, as well as any other potential crimes he might be investigated for since 2014.
Trump is expected to launch his second term with pardons for some of the rioters convicted in connection with the assault on the Capitol as they attempted to halt the certification of Biden’s victory.
The incoming president has vowed to shake up US law enforcement agencies, including the justice department and the FBI, during his second term, raising concerns that he will try to use them more proactively to target his political and personal opponents.
Trump frequently criticised what he characterised as “weaponisation” of the justice department against himself in recent years. He faced federal indictments on charges related to his mishandling of classified documents and his role in trying to overturn the election results.
Credit: Source link
