President Joe Biden sparked fury on his way out the door by issuing preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci and all nine members of the January 6 Committee.
The 82-year-old Democrat also used his final moments in the Oval Office to give blanket protection to former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who Trump has said deserves to be executed.
Trump’s base blames Fauci for strict COVID-19 restrictions, including social distancing, mask wearing, and harsh vaccine mandates that led to many Americans losing their jobs under Biden’s leadership.
Fauci is also accused of lying to Congress about the U.S. sending money to fund gain-of-function research at the laboratory in Wuhan, China, where the virus is thought to have originated and leaked from.
Trump’s initial reaction was to tell NBC’s Kristen Welker that the pardons are ‘disgraceful.’
‘Many are guilty of MAJOR CRIMES!’ he wrote in a text to the anchor, sent as he engaged in inauguration activities on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, Fauci told CNN’s Dana Bash he is ‘very appreciative’ of Biden’s pardon and still insists that he has done ‘nothing wrong.’
January 6 panel Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney were included in the pardon sweep, giving them immunity from any future actions by Trump’s Department of Justice.
Donald Trump Jr. was among the first of the Trump family to respond to the pardon of Fauci, claiming: ‘He doesn’t have to accept the pardon.’
‘If he did nothing wrong be a man and turn it down… But you know he won’t because everyone knows he’s guilty of so much,’ the eldest Trump child wrote.
And incoming Assistant to the President Taylor Budowich released a quick response on X, claiming: ‘Joe Biden’s final act as President will go down as the greatest attack on America’s justice system in history.’
‘With the stroke of a pen, he unilaterally shielded a group of political cronies from the scales of justice. This is yet another dangerous and unreversible (sic) erosion of American norms.’
There was immediate backlash from Republicans who are now vowing to haul Fauci in before Congress to answer to the American people for his actions during the pandemic.
‘If there was ever any doubt as to who bears responsibility for the COVID pandemic, Biden’s pardon of Fauci forever seals the deal,’ said Sen. Rand Paul, who previously referred the doctor to the DOJ for prosecution.
‘As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee I will not rest until the entire truth of the coverup is exposed,’ the Kentucky Republican continued. ‘Fauci’s pardon will only serve as an accelerant to pierce the veil of deception.’
‘Ignominious! Anthony Fauci will go down in history as the first government scientist to be preemptively pardoned for a crime.’
Trump will take his oath of office in the early afternoon on Monday.
He is expected to sign at least 200 executive orders and actions on his first day back behind the Resolute Desk – this will include pardoning those who engaged in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Among the most controversial of all Biden’s pardons so far is the protection of Fauci from federal prosecution. He also got massive backlash for pardoning his own son Hunter from his federal crimes.
Biden commuted almost 2,500 sentences last week, using his final days in office on a flurry of clemency actions meant to nullify prison terms he deemed too harsh.
It comes after he issued 39 pardons and commuted another 1,500 sentences in December.
Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy claimed that Biden’s actions on Monday gives the ‘implication’ that all those preemptively protected were in need of pardons because they are guilty of crimes.
‘So, let’s call them all before Congress and demand the truth,’ Roy recommended on X. ‘If they refuse or lie – let’s test the constitutional ‘reach’ of these pardons with regard to their future actions.’
MAGA ally Marjorie Taylor Greene insisted that Biden’s action shows they are ‘guilty of crimes.’
‘Biden pardons for Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, the members of the Jan. 6 committee and the cops who testified before the committee because they are GUILTY OF CRIMES.’
‘Never forget what the Democrats have done. The mask is completely OFF,’ she went on.
Many users on X also accused Fauci of murder as they raged against the pardon.
‘Anthony Fauci was pardoned by Joe Biden because he’s guilty of murder,’ anti-transgender advocate Riley Gaines posted. ‘That’s it. That’s the tweet.’
In another tweet she noted: ‘Ask yourself this: Why would Joe Biden pardon Fauci if he wasn’t a criminal who should be locked up for his lies, negligence, & greed that killed innocent Americans? Biden was already going out in shame and disgrace, but this is a new low.’
‘Congress should fully investigate Anthony Fauci,’ a conservative X account wrote, then suggested: ‘And then states should criminally prosecute Anthony Fauci for murder.’
Another pro-MAGA account with 3.4 million followers wrote: ‘Biden’s pardon of Fauci is his worst one yet. He deserves prison for life.’
‘Fauci is the most prolific American serial killer of the 21st Century,’ podcaster Eric Matheny wrote on X. ‘He’s not a hero nor a respected man of science. He funded the creation of COVID, knew about its origins in a lab, and lied to the American people.’
‘Of course Biden pardons him,’ he concluded.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) slammed all of Biden’s final pardons, writing in a post to X: ‘Joe Biden just issued preemptive pardons for Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, and Members of Congress and staff of the sham J6 Committee.’
‘In its final hours, the most CORRUPT Administration in American history is covering up Democrats’ trail of criminal activity,’ he continued. ‘Yet we will never forget what they did to our country.’
Biden wrote in a statement on the pardons on Monday morning: ‘Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy. Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.’
‘That is why I am exercising my authority under the Constitution to pardon General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Members of Congress and staff who served on the Select Committee, and the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the Select Committee,’ the president announced.
‘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,’ he continued. ‘Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.’
Biden and first lady Jill Biden are in the middle of vacating the White House Monday morning before the inauguration activities.
At noon, Trump will be sworn in as president and move back into the White House for a second four-year term.
The first pardon Biden issued after losing the 2024 presidential election to Trump was for his son Hunter Biden, 54, who was convicted on felony tax charges as well as federal crimes for lying in 2018 about his drug use on a form to purchase a firearm.
This came to the ire of Democrats who felt it would give Trump permission to issue sweeping pardons without fear of being accused of hypocrisy.
And the same day Biden pardoned his son, Trump announced he would pardon January 6 defendants who were charged with crimes related to the Capitol attack.
Biden wrote in his pardon announcement on Monday that the action is warranted because they are public servants who have ‘been threatened with criminal prosecutions.’
‘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,’ he noted.