*

Biden praises public servants, condemns threats and

intimidation

*

Trump criticizes pardons, calls targets guilty of major

crimes

*

Cheney, Milley, Fauci express gratitude for pardons

*

Pardons several members of his immediate family

(Adds Trump comments in paragraphs 12-13)

By Doina Chiacu, Jeff Mason, Nandita Bose and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Outgoing President Joe

Biden issued preemptive pardons on Monday for several of his

immediate family members and people that incoming President

Donald Trump has targeted for retaliation, including Republican

former lawmaker Liz Cheney and Mark Milley, former chairman of

the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The pardons, issued in Biden's last hours as president,

cover the select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021,

storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, as well as all

lawmakers, including Cheney, who served on the congressional

committee and police officers who testified before it. They also

covered Anthony Fauci, who served as White House chief medical

advisor during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just before he handed over the office to Trump on Monday,

Biden also pardoned five members of his family, saying he wanted

to protect them from politically motivated investigations.

He also commuted the life sentence imposed on Native

American activist Leonard Peltier, over the objections of his

own law enforcement officials including his FBI director.

Peltier will serve the remainder of his sentence in home

confinement.

Trump, who was sworn in as president at noon, has repeatedly

called for the prosecution of his perceived enemies since

winning the White House in November.

Biden praised public servants as the "lifeblood of our

democracy." Without mentioning Trump, he expressed alarm that

some of them were subjected to threats and intimidation for

doing their job.

"These public servants have served our nation with honor and

distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified

and politically motivated prosecutions," Biden said in a

statement.

Biden's last pardons included his siblings - James Biden,

Frank Biden and Valerie Biden Owens - as well as their spouses,

John Owens and Sara Biden.

"My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and

threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me - the worst

kind of partisan politics," Biden said. "Unfortunately, I have

no reason to believe these attacks will end."

Speaking at the Capitol after his swearing-in, Trump

questioned Biden's pardons of Cheney and Milley, referring to

"pardons of people that were very, very guilty of very bad

crimes, like the unselect committee of political thugs."

"I think it was unfortunate that he did that," Trump said of

Biden's last-minute pardons of his family members.

Later, in the Oval Office, Trump said Biden's move created a

precedent.

"Now I have precedent to do it," Trump said. "I wouldn't

want to do that, no. I think it makes you look very guilty. I

think it makes Biden look very bad, very weak and very guilty."

In December, Biden pardoned his son Hunter after repeatedly

saying he would not. Hunter is a recovering drug addict who

became a target of Republicans and pleaded guilty to tax

violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges.

Biden commuted the life sentence imposed on Peltier, 80, who

has been imprisoned for nearly five decades for the 1975

killings of two FBI agents. The move came over long-time FBI

opposition.

Former FBI director Christopher Wray sent Biden a letter on

Jan. 10 expressing his "vehement and steadfast opposition" to

the commutation of Peltier's sentence. "Granting Peltier any

relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and

would be an affront to the rule of law," Wray said.

The U.S. Constitution gives a president broad pardon powers

for federal offenses. While pardons are typically given to

people who have been prosecuted, they can cover conduct that has

not resulted in legal proceedings.

Trump in December backed a call for the FBI to investigate

Cheney over her role in leading Congress' probe of the Jan. 6

assault.

Cheney and Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, the

committee's vice chairs, expressed gratitude to Biden for

recognizing the threats and harassment they and their families

have endured.

"We have been pardoned today not for breaking the law but

for upholding it," they said in a statement.

Fauci often clashed with Trump during the pandemic, and

Trump's supporters have continued to attack the former senior

health official.

Fauci told Reuters the White House had reached out about the

issue a month ago and he had not sought the pardon. "I

appreciate the president reaching out and trying to protect me

from baseless accusations," Fauci said. "I've done nothing wrong

and this is no admission of any guilt."

Milley, who was Trump's top military advisor between 2019

and early 2021, said in a statement he was "deeply grateful" for

Biden's pardon.

'EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES'

Trump's rivalry with Milley ran deep.

In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack, Milley called Beijing

to reassure China of U.S. stability. Trump, in a social media

post, described the phone call as "an act so egregious that, in

times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH."

Some of Trump's supporters, seeing Milley as disloyal,

demanded he be called back to active duty and tried for treason.

Milley took a veiled jab at Trump during his 2023 retirement

speech, saying U.S. troops take an oath to the U.S. Constitution

and not a "wannabe dictator."

Trump later in the day lashed out at him with a series of

insults, calling Milley "slow moving and thinking" and a

"moron."

Milley was quoted in the book "War" by Bob Woodward,

published last year, calling Trump "fascist to the core."

Trump's allies have targeted him for perceived disloyalty to

Trump.

Reuters reported in November that the Trump transition team

was drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, citing

perceived connections to Milley.

Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, repeatedly

lashed out at Milley in his latest book, using profanities.

Biden praised both Milley and Fauci as longtime dedicated

public servants who have defended democracy and saved lives. He

said the select committee established to investigate the Jan. 6

attack had fulfilled its mission with integrity.

Without identifying the individuals, he pardoned all members

of Congress who served on the panel, their staff and the U.S.

Capitol and Washington, D.C., police officers who testified

before the committee.

Biden said that those pardoned had done nothing wrong, but

that simply being investigated or prosecuted could harm

reputations and finances.

"I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the

strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over

politics," he said. "But these are exceptional circumstances,

and I cannot in good conscience do nothing."