Biden issues last-minute preemptive pardons to Trump enemies

President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to a number of individuals who Donald Trump seemed likely to target for prosecution once he returns to the White House.

The outgoing president announced the pardons of members of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection, as well as police officers who testified during that probe, and the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the head of Trump's response team during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“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," Biden said in a statement. "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.”

Trump campaigned for re-election on a theme of retribution, and his nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, has published an enemies list that includes many of the individuals who received the preemptive pardons.