Biden chose a date nearly six years before the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 were identified, adding an unexpected layer of intrigue to the act of clemency.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, responded to President Joe Biden issuing him a preemptive pardon on Monday.

President Biden noted that the "should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing."

After the pardons were announced, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky — both Republicans — posted to X claiming that issuing pardons to Fauci, Milley and others implied they were guilty of a crime, as did other right-leaning accounts on the platform.

As one of his final acts in office, President Joe Biden has granted pardons to several people who have faced threats of prosecution from Biden's political opponents. The post ‘The lifeblood of our democracy’: Biden issues last-minute pardons to Fauci,

Trump’s inauguration, over 175 million Americans face freezing weather and more in today’s edition of The Yodel newsletter

Biden's decision comes after Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who've crossed him politically.

Minutes before leaving the White House, President Joe Biden pardoned his brother, James Biden and other relatives for unspecified crimes.

Joe Biden has issued preemptive pardons to Dr Anthony Fauci, General Mark A Milley, and members of the January 6 Committee ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration.

Former President Joe Biden granted blanket pardons to five family members in the last hour of his presidency, the final acts of clemency that also included sweeping pardons for members of Congress who investigated Trump’s role in the assault on the Capitol four years ago.

Another controversial executive order Trump signed was one aiming to cut off birthright citizenship. Critics immediately pounced on Trump, arguing people born in the United States are granted citizenship under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment even if their birth parents migrated here illegally.