‘Pardongate’: Biden’s Pardons of Fauci, Milley, J6 Committee, Family Spark Questions, Outrage

President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to family members, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, protest.

“Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families,” Biden announced Monday morning, after presiding over a Justice Department frequently accused of weaponizing government and targeting political enemies.

“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,” Biden later added.

“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.”

Then, about half an hour before his successor was to be sworn, the White House announced a pardon of Biden family members, that includes James Biden–who congressional investigators said misled Congress, which was investigating alleged Biden family influence peddling.

“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me—the worst kind of partisan politics,” Biden’s statement said.

He added: “That is why I am exercising my power under the Constitution to pardon James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden. The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense.”

This contrasts with Biden’s own Justice Department that made a court filing last month in the case of a Jan. 6 defendant that said, “The defendant would first have to accept the pardon, which necessitates a confession of guilt.” It went on to cite case law that a pardon “carries an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it.”

The outgoing president previously stirred up questions after pardoning his son Hunter Biden.

The Republican majority on the House oversight panel noted that a member of the Jan. 6 select committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., previously said, “The seeking of pardons is powerful demonstration of the consciousness of guilt, or at least the consciousness that you may be in trouble. And that’s what’s so shocking about this.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., an outspoken member of the House oversight panel, said the pardons suggest the recipients are guilty, in a post on X.

None of the individuals have been charged. However, President-elect Donald Trump—set to be inauguration hours after the pardon—has suggested the individuals should be held accountable for crimes.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has argued that Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, has not been honest with Congress regarding questions about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monday morning, Paul reacted in a post on X, noting that Fauci “will go down in history as the first government scientist to be preemptively pardoned for a crime.”

“If there was ever any doubt as to who bears responsibility for the COVID pandemic, Biden’s pardon of Fauci forever seals the deal. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee I will not rest until the entire truth of the coverup is exposed. Fauci’s pardon will only serve as an accelerant to pierce the veil of deception,” Paul posted.

Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, admitted that he communicated with the Chinese government in early 2021 without consulting then-President Trump to calm concerns from Chinese officials about any military action against the country, promising advanced warning. Milley testified to Congress that he briefed Pentagon and White House officials before the call.

The House select committee investigating Jan. 6 was led by Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. Cheney lost in the 2022 GOP primary for her seat, and now Rep. Harriet Hageman represents her former district.

The House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight concluded that the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 had deleted records. Committee members have denied the deletions. The House subcommittee investigating the investigators also determined that Cheney might have tampered with a witness. Cheney has denied this.

Tom Fitton, president of the government watchdog group Judicial Watch, called Biden’s final actions “pardongate” and suggested incoming President Trump ignore the pardons.

Presidents have wide latitude in pardon. However, historically, accepting a pardon could carry a stigma.

After President Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon, he told the House Judiciary Committee the acceptance of a pardon “does, in effect, admit guilt.”

This story was updated to include news of President Joe Biden pardoning family members.

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