Jan. 20 (UPI) — Outgoing President Joe Biden issued a slate of pardons Monday morning for people who may have been targets of President-elect Donald Trump‘s Justice Department. Recipients of pardons include Trump’s former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Mark Milley, former chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and lawmakers involved in the U.S. House Select Committee on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy,” Biden said in a statement. “Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.”
Members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Capitol Police who defended the Capitol from the mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6 were also pardoned. Specifically those who testified before the select committee.
“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 said. “Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing.”
Biden will attend the inauguration of Trump on Monday, along with three other living former presidents: Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.