CV NEWS FEED // In his final act as president, Joe Biden pre-emptively pardoned several controversial individuals who had not been charged with any crime, hours before President Donald Trump began his second term in office.
A chorus of observers from across the political spectrum – including even one of the recipients of Biden’s pardons – criticized the last-minute move.
Those pardoned include Biden’s former Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, architect and champion of numerous widely condemned COVID restrictions, and retired Army General Mark Milley, who served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Biden administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal.
Biden also pardoned all three of his three siblings, his brother-in-law, and his sister-in-law – whose names had frequently been mentioned in connection with investigations of the business dealings of Biden’s son, Hunter.
In addition, Biden issued pre-emptive pardons to former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-WY, now-Sen. Adam Schiff, D-CA, and the other members of the heavily scrutinized and now-disbanded House Jan. 6th Committee. The Capitol Police officers who testified before the controversial committee also received pardons from Biden.
BREAKING: Pres. Biden issues preemptive pardons:
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) January 20, 2025
• Gen. Mark Milley
• Dr. Anthony Fauci
• Members of Jan. 6 committee
• Jan. 6 officers who testified
“These pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing.” pic.twitter.com/Vn0ijXBYvp
Biden wrote in a statement announcing the pardons: “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,” Biden added. “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances.”
Also in his statement, the former president wrote: “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.”
The New York Times characterized the pardons as “an extraordinary effort by an outgoing president to derail political prosecutions by an incoming president.”
“In issuing the pre-emptive pardons, Mr. Biden effectively turned the president’s constitutional power of forgiveness into a protective shield against what he maintained would be politically motivated vengeance,” the Times reported.
FOX News indicated, “Notably, Special Counsel Jack Smith, former FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland are not included in the pardon, despite speculation that they may face backlash from the incoming administration.”
CNN's John King on Joe Biden's last-minute preemptive pardons of his family members: "It's just unseemly… It's a stain on his legacy." pic.twitter.com/sbKtfjxRjH
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 20, 2025
Schiff made headlines Monday afternoon for suggesting Biden should not have pardoned the members of the Jan. 6th Committee, including himself.
The longtime member of Congress said he holds that “the grant of pardons to a committee that undertook such important work to uphold the law was unnecessary, and because of the precedent it establishes, unwise.”
“But I certainly understand why President Biden believed he needed to take this step in light of the persistent and baseless threats issued by Donald Trump,” Schiff added.
During a Monday broadcast, CNN Chief National Correspondent John King called Biden’s pre-emptive pardons, particularly those of his siblings and in-laws, “a stain on his legacy.”
“It’s just unseemly,” King said. “If you’re going to do it, have the courage to do it in the light of day and explain it to the American people.”
Many observers also pointed out alleged hypocrisy within Biden’s administration and among Democrats regarding presidential pardon power.
POLITICO reported last month that Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) had “sent a message” to Jan. 6 defendants indicating that “Accepting a pardon from Donald Trump is ‘a confession of guilt’ for your crimes.”
Unreal.
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) January 20, 2025
Biden-Harris Justice Department tells J6 defendants that accepting a pardon from Donald Trump is “a confession of guilt.” pic.twitter.com/s2h9IAbFbR
In 2020, during Trump’s first term, far-left MSNBC hostess Joy Reid asked Schiff: “Have you ever heard of somebody getting a preemptive pardon who was innocent of all crime?”
The question came during a segment on Reid’s show about rumors that Trump was considering pre-emptively pardoning his family members, which ultimately did not materialize.
Schiff answered: “No, it’s the president’s own family. It’s people that have been covering up for the president in addition to his own family.”
At the time, Reid was not the only left-wing MSNBC commentator to push this type of narrative regarding pre-emptive pardons when it came to Trump hypothetically issuing them.
Reid’s colleague Chris Hayes had said: “The idea of a kind of prospective pardon, this sort of permanent federal get out of jail free card, that seems to be what we’re talking about in the case of this.”
Nearly 3 minutes straight of Democrats saying preemptive presidential pardons means you’re guilty:
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 20, 2025
Biden just preemptively pardoned Fauci, Milley, Jan 6th committee, and his family. pic.twitter.com/Bjg0fkgvb3
Referring to former New York City mayor and Trump’s eldest three children – whom The New York Times had reported were being considered for pre-emptive pardons by the president – Hayes said, “Who as far as we know have not been convicted of a crime. Maybe they’ve committed a lot and they don’t want to face action.”
“I don’t know,” the host added. “It’s weird. I wouldn’t ask for a pardon. I don’t think I deserve one because I don’t think I’ve done anything criminal.”
“But like where does that come from?” Hayes asked. “That concept you can just kind of wave your magic pardon wand.”