Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to the president. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me – the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end," Biden said in a statement pardoning his family.
Speculation had mounted that Biden would issue blanket pardons and preemptive pardons to those viewed as Trump's political foes, such as former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, as well as Milley and Fauci and members of the Biden family.
Democrats stretching from former President Bill Clinton to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., warned Biden against issuing such pardons in the waning days of his administration.
BIDEN PARDONS MARK MILLEY, ANTHONY FAUCI, J6 COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Sen. Dick Durbin speaks during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin also warned against such pardons in an interview on CNN last month, remarking, "when we talk about a preemptive pardon, where does it start and where does it stop?"
Klobuchar echoed that sentiment in the same month.
President Biden signs proclamations creating national monuments at the White House on Jan. 14, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Following the 11th hour pardons for Milley, Fauci and staff of the Jan. 6 Select Committee and family, political leaders and lawmakers slammed the decision, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"One of Biden’s greatest abuses of power was the forcing of mRNA shots by executive fiat (which Florida successfully blocked). Now, on his way out the door, Biden pardons the chief henchman of that and so many other abuses. The swamp protects its own," said DeSantis, a Republican, on Monday.
BIDEN COMMUTES NEARLY 2,500 MORE SENTENCES IN FINAL DAYS OF PRESIDENCY
Fauci was the national spokesman for the nation's pandemic response, including advising then-President Trump in 2020 on how to handle COVID-19 as it swept across communities.
Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Milley, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also has a contentious relationship with Trump and his supporters. He had called Trump a "fascist" and "the most dangerous person to this country" just ahead of the November election.
WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING?
Trump has repeatedly slammed Milley since leaving office, including after the United States' botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, when he called Milley a "loser who shamed us in Afghanistan and elsewhere!"
After the election, Milley appeared to walk back his characterization of Trump as a "fascist," saying America will "be OK" under Trump’s second administration.
Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2025. (Trump-Vance Transition Team)
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"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," Biden said in a White House statement. "Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/high-profile-dems-warned-biden-against-preemptive-pardons-before-giving-fauci-milley-passes