Donald Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley, and members of the House January 6 select committee, calling them “disgraceful.” Biden issued the pardons during the final moments of his presidency.

Just over two hours before Trump was set to take the oath of office, NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker shared on social media that the president-elect had texted her his thoughts on the pardons. “NEW: President-elect Trump texted me his reaction to President Biden’s preemptive pardons of the Jan. 6 committee and witnesses, Anthony Fauci and Mark Milley,” Welker posted on X. “It is disgraceful. Many are guilty of MAJOR CRIMES! DJT.”

Biden’s pardons for Fauci, Milley, and the Jan. 6 committee members came as Trump and other Republicans promised to investigate the actions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Biden defended the pardons, saying in a statement posted on the White House website, “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”

Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades, served during Trump’s administration and later as Biden’s chief medical adviser until his retirement in 2022. Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has stated that his committee will issue subpoenas for documents regarding the origins of the virus and the role Fauci and other NIH officials played in funding research in China.

Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had publicly criticized Trump, calling him a fascist and detailing his behavior surrounding the January 6 attack. Trump has lashed out at Milley over reports of calls he made to his Chinese counterpart, reassuring them that he would warn Chinese officials if the U.S. were to initiate an attack.

The January 6 panel, which was led by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, consisted of Democrats and two anti-Trump Republicans: then-Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.

{Matzav.com}