Former United States President Joe Biden used his final hours to issue preemptive pardons amid fears that President Donald Trump could seek to prosecute perceived enemies.
Biden on Monday handed pardons to several members of his own family, as well as former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney, former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, and former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley.
The move comes after Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his role in the storming of the US Capitol four years ago.
“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.
The US Constitution gives a president broad pardon powers for federal offences. While pardons are typically given to people who have been prosecuted, they can cover conduct that has not yet resulted in legal proceedings.
The pardon covers all lawmakers, including Cheney, who served on the congressional select committee that investigated the 2021 US Capitol riots, as well as police officers who testified before it.
Trump in December backed a call for the FBI to investigate Cheney over her role in leading the Congress probe of the assault.
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