Republican congressman Liz Cheney, immunologist Anthony Fauci and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley have all offered protection.

Former US President Joe Biden issued a preemptive pardon in his final hours amid concerns that President Donald Trump might seek to prosecute a perceived enemy.

Biden on Monday pardoned several members of his own family, as well as former Republican congressman Liz Cheney, former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.

It comes after Trump warned that his list of enemies is full of people who have clashed with him politically or tried to get him to defend his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and his role in it. Responsible person. Storming the U.S. Capitol four years ago.

“These public servants have served our country with honor and distinction and should not be the targets of unjust and politically motivated prosecutions,” Biden said in a statement.

The U.S. Constitution gives the president broad powers power of pardon Federal Crime. While pardons are typically given to people who have been charged, they can also cover conduct that has not yet given rise to legal action.

The pardon covers all lawmakers, including Cheney, who served on the congressional special committee investigating the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, as well as police officers who testified before the committee.

In December, Trump backed an FBI investigation into Cheney’s role in leading a congressional inquiry into the attack.

“Thank you very much”

Cheney, the committee’s vice chairman, and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson expressed their gratitude to Biden for recognizing the threats and harassment they and their families have suffered.

“We are pardoned today not because we broke the law, but because we upheld it,” they said in a statement.

Milley, who served as Trump’s top military adviser from 2019 to early 2021, said in a statement that he was “deeply grateful” for Biden’s pardon.

Milley called on Beijing to reassure China of U.S. stability after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Trump described the call in a social media post as “an act so egregious that in the past the penalty was the death penalty.”

Fauci told Reuters the White House was in contact about the issue a month ago. He claimed he was not seeking absolution.

“I appreciate the president reaching out and trying to protect me from baseless accusations,” Fauci said. “I did nothing wrong and that doesn’t mean I’m admitting guilt.”

Fauci has frequently clashed with Trump during the pandemic, and his supporters have continually attacked the former health official.

Family members pardoned

Among other members of his family, Biden also issued preemptive pardons to his brothers James and Frances; sister Valerie and her husband John; and James’ wife Sarah.

In December, Biden controversially released pardoned his son hunterConvicted on gun and tax charges, he claimed he was being persecuted for political purposes.

“My family has been relentlessly attacked and threatened with the sole intention of harming me — partisan politics at its worst,” Biden said in a statement. “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks. will end.”

Trump condemned the move in a speech to supporters. “Did you know Biden pardoned his entire family while I was speaking?” Trump said.

In another exchange with reporters, Trump accused Biden of setting an “incredible precedent” for future presidents.

“I think now I have a precedent for doing this,” Trump said.