Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat who served on the Jan. 6 Congressional Committee that investigated the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, learned he received a presidential pardon Monday during outgoing President Joe Biden’s last few minutes in office.
“I started getting calls from a bunch of reporters saying that the January 6 committee members and staff, as well as other people like Dr. Fauci and Gen. Milley, had been pardoned,” Raskin said.
He told WTOP he got “official notice” of the pardon at about 8:15 a.m. on Monday morning, just before attending an MLK Day event at the Kid Museum in Bethesda, and a few hours before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
Raskin has not been charged with any crime, and Biden’s pardon was designed to guard against possible retribution by Trump.
“It’s a strange thing to receive a pardon just for doing your job, and just for upholding the oath of office,” Raskin said. “It’s a sign of the times, I suppose.”
He also noted the threats that have been leveled against the “J6” Committee members.
“I can see why President Biden felt that that was necessary,” Raskin said. “For me, it just removes a little bit of a distraction and gives us that much more ability to focus on defending the Constitution, the separation of powers and defending the rights and the freedoms of all the people.”
In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday night, Raskin called the rioters pardoned by Trump “the willing political foot soldiers for Donald Trump when he incited an insurrection against the government.”
“The real statement of this mass pardon that Donald Trump just gave is that January 6 lives, and until Donald Trump states his apology and his regret for having incited an insurrection against our Constitution, then all of it continues to be a danger to us,” Raskin said.
Also among those who were granted a pardon was Harry Dunn, a former officer with the US Capitol Police who was injured during the Capitol riot.
Dunn told WTOP that he was “eternally grateful to President Joe Biden, not just for this preemptive pardon, but for his leadership and service to this nation, especially over the last four years.”
“I wish this pardon weren’t necessary, but unfortunately, the political climate we are in now has made the need for one somewhat of a reality. I, like all of the other public servants, was just doing my job and upholding my oath, and I will always honor that.”
Biden’s action marked one of the broadest uses of pardon power in modern American history, following heated debate over months among the most senior White House officials.
“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,” Biden said. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”
President Trump said the pardons were for people who were “very guilty of very bad crimes” and “political thugs.” However, Biden has pushed back against comments that anyone receiving these pardons did anything wrong, calling the pardons a result of “exceptional circumstances” and saying “I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”
“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,” Biden said.
It isn’t clear how much protection these pardons will actually have, given Republican control on Capitol Hill.
The extent of the legal protection may not protect lawmakers or staff from Congressional subpoenas and inquiries, probes of the January 6 committee’s actions or seeking testimony and other materials from those involved.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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