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Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons on Monday for several of his immediate family members and people his successor Donald Trump has targeted for retaliation, including Republican former lawmaker Liz Cheney and Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The pardons, issued in Biden's last hours as president, cover the select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, as well as all lawmakers, including Cheney, who served on the congressional committee and police officers who testified before it. They also covered Anthony Fauci, who served as White House chief medical advisor during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump, who was sworn in as president on Monday, has repeatedly called for the prosecution of his perceived enemies since winning the White House in November.
Biden praised public servants as the "lifeblood of our democracy." Without mentioning Trump, he expressed alarm that some of them were subjected to threats and intimidation for doing their job.
"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," Biden said in a statement.
Just before he handed over the office to Trump, Biden also pardoned five members of his family, saying he wanted to protect them from politically motivated investigations.
He pardoned his siblings — James Biden, Frank Biden and Valerie Biden Owens — as well as their spouses, John Owens and Sara Biden.