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Outgoing president’s last act to protect public officials from possible lawsuits

In his final hours as president of the United States, Joe Biden announced a preemptive pardon for Anthony Fauci, former White House pandemic response chief, General Mark Milley, former chief of staff, and members of the House committee that investigated the 6 January 2021 assault on Congress.

In a statement, Biden justified his decision by highlighting the risk of ‘unwarranted and politically motivated judicial persecution’ of these officials by the new administration led by Donald Trump. ‘Our nation relies every day on dedicated and selfless public officials who are the lifeblood of our democracy. Alarmingly, many of them have been subjected to threats and intimidation for performing their duties faithfully,’ Biden said.

The outgoing president made it clear that the granting of the pardon represents neither an admission of guilt nor an acknowledgement of wrongdoing by the recipients. ‘These public servants have served our nation with honour and distinction and do not deserve to be targeted,’ he added.

The preemptive pardon, a rare and controversial legal act, has been interpreted as a move to avoid possible prosecutions that the new administration might take against key figures from the previous presidency. Fauci, Milley and members of the 6 January committee had often been the target of criticism from Trump and his supporters, who had promised to prosecute those they held responsible for controversial decisions or misuse of power.

Biden concluded his remarks by declaring that ‘our nation owes a debt of gratitude’ to these people for their ‘tireless commitment’ to the country.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)

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