Photo // Alex Brandon, ABC news
TRUMP AND BIDEN’S PARDONS CAUSE A STIR. Former President Biden and President Donald Trump pose in front of The White House ahead of inauguration.
By: Rafael Tortolero
Multimedia Specialist
In the final hours before the transition of power on Jan. 20, former President Joe Biden pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, his own siblings and members of the committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
While the presidential pardon is usually given to people who have been convicted of a crime, Biden used the pardon differently, granting it to people who have not been charged with or even investigated for crimes.
The main reason behind Biden’s pardons was Donald Trump’s supposed “enemies list” composed of people who have tried to investigate his connection with the Capitol attack. Biden clarified that the pardons should not indicate that any of these individuals participated in any wrongdoings or admitted guilt to any crime, but that they are instead being used as a shield to protect these individuals from political attacks or vengeance and as a recognition of the individuals’ service to the country.
This more symbolic use of the presidential pardon raises questions about the scope of the power and whether Biden’s decision will set a precedent for even broader pardons in the future.
On the same day, President Trump ardoned over 1,500 rioters who participated in the Capitol attack. Some of these individuals were charged with assaulting police officers, in some cases with deadly weapons.
He also commuted the sentences of 14 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, both far-right militant organizations, who were charged with conspiracy.
After the attack in 2021, President Trump decided to distance himself from the event and suggested that everyone who committed a crime should be prosecuted – a narrative that changed over the years as he began to show support for the rioters and refer to the prisoners as “hostages” or political prisoners.
The aftermath of the riots in the Capitol left over 100 officers injured and a permanent mark in our country’s politics, as it has been described as one of the darkest days in this country’s history.
The Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police issued a joint statement about President Trump’s pardoning decision, saying, “it sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence.”
