Biden pardons people whom Trump threatened to prosecute

A few hours before handing over power to Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden on Monday granted a preemptive pardon to several government officials and employees, to protect them from “unjustified and politically motivated legal measures.”

While his Republican successor pledged “revenge” against his political opponents, Biden decided to grant this protection to figures who are also enemies of Trump, especially former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, the doctor who coordinated the Biden administration’s strategy in combating Covid-19, and officials who participated. In the committee investigating the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in addition to the two police officers who testified before the same committee.

“I believe in the rule of law and I am certain that the strength of our judicial system will ultimately prevail over political debates,” Biden said in a statement. “But we live in exceptional circumstances and I cannot, in good conscience, stand idly by.”

Biden, who will hand over power to his Republican successor later Monday, added, “It is disturbing that government employees have been subjected to threats and intimidation for faithfully carrying out their duties,” noting that “some of them have even been threatened with prosecution.”

Biden recently granted a pardon to his son Hunter, who is facing problems with the judiciary and is a target of the American extreme right.