President Joe Biden on Monday preemptively pardoned General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci and members of Congress who served on the committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, using emergency executive powers as a bulwark against retaliation by his successor, Donald Trump.
Statement by President Joe Biden:
Our nation relies on dedicated and selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy.
Yet it is worrying that civil servants are subjected to constant threats and intimidation for faithfully performing their duties.
In some cases, some have even been threatened with prosecution, including General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, and members and staff of the Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the target of unwarranted and politically motivated prosecution.
General Milley has served our nation for more than 40 years in numerous command and control positions and has been deployed to the most dangerous parts of the world to protect and defend democracy. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he has led our armed forces through complex global security threats, strengthening our existing alliances while forging new ones.
Dr. Fauci has served our country for more than half a century. He has saved countless lives by leading the government's response to urgent health crises, including HIV/AIDS and the Ebola and Zika viruses. During his tenure as Chief Medical Advisor, he helped the country deal with a once-in-a-century pandemic. The United States is safer and healthier because of him.
On January 6, 2021, American democracy was put to the test when a mob of rioters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn a fair and free election by force and violence. Given the significance of that day, Congress established the bipartisan Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol to investigate and report on the facts, circumstances, and causes of the uprising. The Select Committee fulfilled this mission with integrity and a determination to uncover the truth. Instead of accepting responsibility, those who perpetrated the January 6 attack have taken every opportunity to undermine and intimidate those who participated in the Select Committee's work in an effort to rewrite history, to erase the stain of January 6 for partisan gain, and to seek revenge, including threats of prosecution.
I believe in the rule of law and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will eventually prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing. Unwarranted and politically motivated investigations destroy the lives, safety and financial security of the targeted individuals and their families. Even if individuals have done nothing wrong - and in fact did the right thing - and are eventually exonerated, the very fact that they are being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances.
Therefore, I exercise my constitutional authority to grant a pardon to General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Members of Congress and staff who served on the Select Committee, and the officers of the U.S. Capitol and Metropolitan Police who testified before the Select Committee. The issuance of these pardons should not be misconstrued as an admission that any person has committed any wrongdoing, nor should it be misconstrued as an admission of guilt of any crime. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.
Whitehouse/ gnews - RoZ
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