President Biden pre-emptively pardoned Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House Jan. 6 committee, hours before Trump's inauguration.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WLBT) - Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney are expressing their gratitude to outgoing President Joe Biden for issuing a pardon for their work on the January 6 Bipartisan Select Committee.

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."

President Biden granted pardons to several prominent public servants Monday who have faced attacks from President-elect Trump in one of his final acts in office. Biden issued pardons for Dr.

U.S. President Joe Biden has pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, Liz Cheney and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and retired general Mark Milley, to guard against potential retaliation by the incoming Donald Trump administration.

As one of President Joe Biden's final acts Monday, he announced several pre-emptive pardons including that of Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson.

With just a few hours remaining in his presidency, Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley and members of the January 6th Committee and their staffs, amid concerns that they would be targets of investigation by the incoming administration.