Biden pardons several officials ahead of Trump's inauguration
Photo: Joe Biden, President of the United States (Getty Images)
Just hours before the end of his term, US President Joe Biden decided to pardon several officials. According to the American leader, they face the threat of persecution, NBC News reports.
Biden pardoned former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, members and staff of the commission investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, as well as officers of the US Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia who testified before the commission.
According to NBC News, the commission included a senator and both former and current members of the US House of Representatives.
In his statement, Biden noted that some of those he pardoned were "threatened with criminal prosecutions" and that he "cannot in good conscience do nothing."
"These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions," the president stated.
Biden also criticized those who "attacked and threatened" members of the commission investigating the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021.
"Rather than accept accountability, those who perpetrated the January 6th attack have taken every opportunity to undermine and intimidate those who participated in the Select Committee in an attempt to rewrite history, erase the stain of January 6th for partisan gain, and seek revenge, including by threatening criminal prosecutions," he added.
According to Biden, "baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families."
At the same time, the president clarified that the pardons should not be misconstrued as an acknowledgment that these individuals committed any wrongdoing.
Trump's inauguration
Today, January 20, Donald Trump will officially become the new President of the United States. Back in November, he won the presidential election with a confident lead.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Trump's team plans to carry out "purges" of generals and officers in the Pentagon after the inauguration. This reportedly includes individuals close to the former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Mark Milley.
This may be linked to Milley's sharp criticism of Trump, whom he referred to as "a fascist to the core."
