US President Joe Biden, in one of his final acts before leaving office, issued preemptive pardons to former Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, and several other officials who served on the January 6th congressional investigation committee.

The pardons, announced hours before former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, protect the officials from potential federal prosecutions that Biden characterized as “baseless and politically motivated” in a lengthy statement defending the move.

Since Trump won the election in November, uncertainty has loomed over the former and future president’s vows to prosecute various political adversaries, particularly after Trump and his allies faced prosecution in various cases in the four years that have passed since his last presidential term.

Speaking to these concerns, Biden said on Monday:

I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing. Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.

Advocates have called on Biden to apply his presidential pardon power generously ahead of the transition of presidential power. In a similarly defensive move last month, the outgoing president pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, in a sweeping order that covered federal crimes he had been convicted of, as well as all federal offenses “which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”

In a statement released Monday morning about the latest pardons, Biden said of Fauci, Milley, and the January 6 Committee officials: “These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions.”

Fauci, who served as the government’s top infectious disease expert for nearly four decades before retiring, faced criticism from Trump and his allies over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Milley, who completed his term as America’s top military officer in 2023, drew controversy over his actions during the final months of Trump’s previous administration. The sweeping clemency action also covers members and staff of the House Select Committee that investigated the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, as well as law enforcement officers who testified before the panel.