Old Clip of Joe Biden Promising Not to Use Preemptive Pardons Resurfaces After Fauci, Milley Issued Pardons

A clip of outgoing President Joe Biden decrying preemptive pardons is making the rounds on social media.

Biden issued numerous preemptive pardons in the final hours of his presidency for a range of people, including Gen. Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of Congress, including Liz Cheney, who served on the committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, CNN reported.

In a CNN interview from December 2020, Biden stated that we would not issue such pardons. Biden was responding to a question about then-President Trump considering taking such actions. "You're not going to see in our administration that kind of approach to pardons," Biden said, expressing concern about the precedent preemptive pardons would set.

In issuing the pardons Monday, Biden cited "ongoing threats and intimidation" by incoming President Trump aimed at public servants for doing their job. Essentially, Biden said the pardons were justified because he believed vindictive and unjust prosecutions were on the horizon.

"I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing," Biden wrote in a statement Monday.

Trump has repeatedly made statements about potential criminal prosecutions. For example, about Cheney,Trump wrote on Truth social: "Liz Cheney has been exposed in the Interim Report, by Congress, of the J6 Unselect Committee as having done egregious and unthinkable acts of crime," The Hill reported. "She is so unpopular and disgusting, a real loser!"

Biden wrote that he would not allow what he considers to be purely political prosecutions to be a possibility.

"Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families," Biden wrote. "Even when individuals have done nothing wrong—and in fact have done the right thing—and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances."

Originally published on Latin Times

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Joe Biden, Trump, President Trump