WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, using the extraordinary powers of his office in his final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by the incoming Trump administration.

President Biden said the pardons are not an "acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing" but rather protect individuals from "unjustified and politically motivated prosectutions."

In a dramatic final act before departing office on Monday, President Joe Biden announced he was granting pardons to retired Gen. Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Jan. 6 committee members and staff — which includes Liz Cheney,