Biden Issues Preemptive Pardons for Anthony Fauci, Liz Cheney, Mark Milley and Other Jan. 6 Committee Members

On Monday, President Biden issued blanket preemptive pardons for Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the lawmakers and staffers from the House Jan. 6 committee, including former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA).

The Details: None of the pardon recipients have been charged with crimes, but some share concerns that these recipients would be targets of political retribution in the incoming Trump administration. Biden said, “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment,” and “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing.”

How The Media Covered It: CNN (Lean Left bias) called it “a stunning flex of presidential power that is unprecedented in recent presidential history.” Across the spectrum, outlets emphasized the gratitude of the recipients. Outlets on the left focused more on the role of Trump's rhetoric and past threats, often leaving out criticism of the pardons. Outlets on the right often included criticism of the pardons and downplayed Trump's threats of retribution. Journalist Glenn Greenwald (Center bias) pointed out that when Trump considered preemptive pardons for his allies in 2020, “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), like other Democrats, [has] described the possibility of these preemptive parsons as 'a gross abuse of the presidential pardon authority.'”