Biden preemptively pardoned several prominent Trump opponents.

In Biden's statement, he mentioned that he made the decision because
"public officials have become targets of ongoing threats and intimidation." This refers to what is known as a preventive pardon, as there are currently no criminal investigations against any of the individuals pardoned by Biden. The president's decision means that it cannot be disclosed.

Commentators anticipated that Biden would make a decision regarding the preventive pardon of prominent opponents of Trump, who himself—having become a suspect in several criminal cases—had called for them to be prosecuted. This includes former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, whom Trump accused of treason for not following his orders, former COVID-19 pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and prominent Democratic congressmen who sought to hold Trump accountable for the events of January 6, 2021, in Washington.

The list of pardoned individuals includes members of the House of Representatives who investigated the events of January 6, as well as law enforcement officials who testified before Congress regarding the investigation.

In the final moments of his presidency, Biden also pardoned his relatives—brothers James and Francis, as well as sister Valerie.

"My family has faced constant attacks and threats aimed solely at harming me—this is the worst example of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe that these attacks will cease," Biden's statement reads.

Previously, among other convicted and accused individuals, Biden also pardoned his son Hunter, who faced prison time for tax crimes and illegal possession of firearms. Biden described the case against him as unfair. Trump, on the other hand, referred to the cases against himself and his supporters as politically motivated.

Additionally, Biden commuted the sentence of Leonard Peltier—an activist in the American Indian movement serving a life sentence for the murder of two FBI agents in 1975. The 80-year-old Peltier will be able to spend his remaining years under house arrest. The commutation does not mean a pardon.

Trump had previously promised that upon taking office as president, he would pardon those convicted for their participation in the events of January 6, when his supporters stormed the Capitol. The charges against Trump in this case were dismissed, but special prosecutor Jack Smith insists on the elected president's guilt in his report.

Donald Trump will take office as president on January 20 at noon (8:00 PM Moscow time).