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Biden issues pre-emptive pardons for Jan. 6 committee and witnesses, Anthony Fauci and Mark Milley
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/jo...ey-fauci-jan-6-panel-members-polic-rcna188368
Jan. 20, 2025, 7:27 AM EST / Updated Jan. 20, 2025, 9:05 AM EST
By Rebecca Shabad
WASHINGTON — With just hours remaining in office, President Joe Biden issued a slew of pardons Monday morning to pre-emptively protect people President-elect Donald Trump had threatened.
Biden pardoned former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, members and staff of the committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before that committee.
The panel’s members included Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who was then a House member; former Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., Elaine Luria, D-Va., and Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla.; and current Reps. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
What To Know
"These clemency recipients have each made significant contributions to improving their communities," Biden said in a statement released by the White House. He emphasized that the individuals pardoned had shown exemplary rehabilitation or, in Garvey's case, symbolized a broader societal reckoning.
The full list of individuals granted clemency includes:
- Anthony Fauci: Fauci was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infection Disease during the COVID pandemic in Trump's first administration. He was the target of right-wing criticism over his stance on vaccines and the origin of the pandemic.
- Mark Milley: Milley was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump's first presidency. He has said Trump is a fascist and a "wannabe dictator."
- Members and staff of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol: Lawmakers involved in the final report were: chair Bennie G. Thompson D-MS), vice chair Liz Cheney (D-WY), Zoe Lofgren D-CA, Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Pete Aguilar California (D-CA), Stephanie N. murphy (D-FL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD) Elaine G. Luria (d-VA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
- Marcus Mosiah Garvey: Garvey's 1923 mail fraud conviction led to his imprisonment and eventual deportation. Advocates have long argued that the case was driven by political motives aimed at silencing his activism. Biden's pardon acknowledges this historical injustice.
- Ravidath "Ravi" Ragbir: Convicted in 2001, Ragbir is now a well-known advocate for immigrant and faith communities. His conviction was for a non-violent offense, but he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison. Since his release, Ragbir "has advocated for vulnerable immigrant communities and families in New York and New Jersey," according to the White House.
- Don Leonard Scott, Jr.: Scott was previously convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994, and was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, according to the White House. After his release, he has worked as an attorney and went on to be elected to the Virginia state legislature in 2019. He became the first Black speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in 2024.
- Kemba Smith Pradia: Pradia was convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994 and was sentenced to 24 years in prison. She has become is a criminal justice advocate, and former President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000.
- Darryl Chambers: Convicted in 1998 of a non-violent drug offense, Chambers was sentenced to 17 years' imprisonment. Chambers founded the Center for Structural Equity and is also the executive director of the Youth Empowered to Strive and Succeed Program.
Biden previously controversially pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, last month after previously insisting he would never take such action. Hunter was set to be sentenced in two separate criminal cases: a felony gun charge and federal tax fraud. The president's son was convicted of three separate felony charges related to the 2018 purchase of a revolver in June 2024. He also admitted nine tax evasion charges in September.
And the rest of the Biden crime family gets their pardons:
https://x.com/DanaBashCNN/status/1881382896206008712