Trump Reacts to Joe Biden's 'Unfortunate' Decision After Outgoing President Issues Last-Minute Pardons to Family Members, Dr. Fauci and Others
Joe Biden issued the last-minute pardons hours before Donald Trump's inauguration.
Jan. 20 2025, Published 3:18 p.m. ET
Moments before departing the White House, Joe Biden made one last bold move as president.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Biden issued preemptive pardons to five of his family members, including his three siblings and their spouses, and several others.
Biden, 82, explained he felt he had no choice but to issue the pardons on Monday, January 20, hours before president-elect Donald Trump was set to take the oath of office.
Trump, 78, called Biden's decision to issue the pardons "unfortunate."
Biden issued the pardons moments before he left the White House for Trump's inauguration.
Trump then said he would “not discuss” the topic now, and added: “I think it was unfortunate that he did that. We won’t discuss that now. There’s plenty of time to discuss that.”
On his decision to pardon his loved ones, Biden said his family has been "subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics."
He added: "Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end."
Biden further noted: "The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense."
Biden's siblings and their spouses were included in the pardons.
The pardons included Biden's immediate family members – brother James and his wife Sara; sister Valerie and her husband John; and brother Francis – as well as retired General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci and members of the January 6 House Committee, including former Rep. Liz Cheney.
During a rambling 45-minute speech, Trump slammed those included in Biden's pardons, saying: "Why are we trying to help a guy like Milley? Why are we doing Milley? He was pardoned. What he said... Why are we helping Liz Cheney? She's a crying lunatic."
Dr. Fauci and former Rep. Liz Cheney received pardons.
His 11th hour pardons come a month after Biden issued a controversial pardon to his son Hunter for tax and gun charges after repeatedly saying he had no plans to do so.
In June, House Republicans sent a letter to the Justice Department recommending Hunter and James be prosecuted, claiming they made "false statements" to Congress as part of a Republican-led impeachment inquiry.
Retired Gen. Mark Milley, who previously warned Trump was a 'fascist,' was also pardoned.
James' lawyer slammed the notion as a "baseless partisan action" after Republicans scrutinized his business dealings and claimed he benefited from his brother's presidency.
Allegations from Republicans stemmed from a $200,000 check from Biden to his brother when he was a private citizen.
House Democrats pushed back on Republicans' accusations and cited bank records as evidence James was repaying the loan.
Biden's brother additionally insisted the president "never had any involvement" in his business dealings.
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Donald Trump called the pardons 'unfortunate.'
While Trump's pick for U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, insisted the Justice Department would not be used for retribution against Trump's perceived political enemies during her confirmation hearing, Biden's picks for the last-minute pardons seemingly suggested the outgoing president did not want to take any chances.
Although Bondi claimed the Justice Department would not be weaponized against adversaries, she refused to rule out potential investigation against outspoken Trump critics.
Trump has railed against members of Biden's family, which he has dubbed a "crime family" in social media posts and campaign speeches, as well as criticized Cheney, Fauci and Milley.
