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Rep. Thompson issues Statement Regarding Preemptive Pardon

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a move referred to by the AP as “an extraordinary use of the powers of the presidency in Biden’s final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by the incoming Trump administration,” former President Joe Biden signed preemptive pardons for his family, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack. Those pardoned included Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), former chairman of the committee.
Yesterday, the Rep. Thompson released a joint statement with the vice-chair of the committee, former congresswoman Liz Chaney, thanking former President Biden.
“On behalf of the Members of the Select Committee on the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, we express our gratitude to President Biden for recognizing that we and our families have been continuously targeted not only with harassment, lies and threats of criminal violence, but also with specific threats of criminal prosecution and imprisonment by members of the incoming administration, simply for doing our jobs and upholding our oaths of office. We have been pardoned today not for breaking the law but for upholding it.
These are indeed ‘extraordinary circumstances’ when public servants are pardoned to prevent false prosecution by the government for having worked faithfully as Members of Congress to expose the facts of a months-long criminal effort to override the will of the voters after the 2020 elections, including by inciting a violent insurrection to thwart the peaceful transfer of power. Such a prosecution would be ordered and conducted by persons who led this unprecedented attack on our constitutional system. We are not deterred, we have never been deterred, and we will never be deterred by threats of criminal violence or criminal prosecution, and we are encouraged greatly for the future of the rule of law by the existence of the Constitution’s sweeping Speech and Debate Clause as well as this general pardon by President Biden of our Committee and its excellent staff.
We pray that our institutions will prevail over these coming four years, but their survival will undoubtedly require courage by the citizenry, those in elected office and the press. The truth and the Constitution must prevail.”
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