Joe Biden pardons Anthony Fauci, Liz Cheney, and Mark Milley

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Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Anthony Fauci, Liz Cheney and Mark Milley, hours before he ceded the US presidency to Donald Trump, who vowed revenge on his political opponents.

The outgoing president’s latest move to protect high-profile figures from potential future prosecution comes after Biden had already made sweeping use of his clemency powers in the run-up to his departure from the White House.

It also precedes what many expect will be a flurry of activity by Trump once he takes office later Monday.

Trump threatened Fauci, the president’s former chief medical adviser, with legal action over his role in overseeing the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has a long history of animosity with Trump, warning in the run-up to last year’s election that he was “fascist to the core.”

Milley said Monday that he and his family are “deeply grateful” for Biden’s action, adding: “After forty-three years of loyal service in uniform to our nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend any remaining time working.” May God grant me to fight those who would unjustly seek revenge for perceived slights.

Cheney, a prominent Republican, campaigned for Kamala Harris during last year’s presidential election and served as deputy head of the congressional investigation into the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Biden said he pardoned members of Congress and staff who served on the committee, as well as police officers who testified on it.

“It is disturbing that public officials are subjected to constant threats and intimidation for faithfully carrying out their duties,” he said in a statement.

Last year, the outgoing president controversially pardoned his son Hunter Biden, sparing him potential prison sentences related to his federal gun and tax convictions, as well as any other potential crimes that might be investigated since 2014.

Trump is also expected to begin his second term by pardoning some of the rioters convicted in connection with the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 as they tried to stop the certification of Biden’s victory.

The next president has pledged to make sweeping changes to US law enforcement agencies, including the Justice Department and the FBI, during his second term, raising concerns that he will try to use them more proactively to target his political and personal opponents.

Trump has often criticized what he described as the Justice Department’s “weaponization” against him in recent years. He faced federal indictments on charges related to mishandling classified documents and his role in trying to overturn the election results.