Joe Biden may be considering a preemptive pardon for Covid advisor Anthony Fauci
AFP

President Biden has issued a preemptive pardon to Anthony Fauci, Joint Chiefs of Staff of Mark Milley and members of the Congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6th attack on the Capitol.

Fauci was the director of the National Insitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the Covid pandemic.

He has been vilified by some on the far right for his role in closures, mask rules and vaccine policy.

"The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense," Biden said in a statement. "Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country."

Another pardon went to former Joint Chiefs of Statee Mark Milley. He called Trump a fascist and told of Donald Trump's actions on January 6th, the Associated Press reported.

Pardons also went to members and staff of the Jan. 6 committee, including former Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

Biden also issued pardons to the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the committee.

Trump's Attorney General nominee, Pam Bondi, refused to say if she would investigate former Congresswoman Liz Cheney for her role in the committee during a confirmation hearing last week.

Presidential pardons have a long history in the United States. On his last day in the White House in January 2021, Trump pardoned 74 people. Biden has pardoned thousands of people in his final days.