Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden used his final hours in office Monday to preemptively pardon members of the U.S. Congress that served on the committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, including U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 8) of Takoma Park.
“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 in a statement on the White House website, which has since been removed following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump at noon Monday. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”
According to the Associated Press, Biden’s decision was likely inspired by news of Trump’s “enemies list,” which is slated to include elected officials who were involved in the investigation of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, that intended to disrupt congressional certification of Biden as president.
Raskin, who represents Montgomery County, gained national prominence for his role as a member of the House Select Committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack.
A spokesperson for Raskin referred Bethesda Today to Raskin’s comments to NPR Monday morning in reference to the pardon.
“It’s a sign of our strange times that public officials and public servants have to be pardoned just for doing their jobs and upholding their oath of office and upholding the law,” Raskin said.
When asked by host Leila Fadel on NPR if he planned to accept the pardon, Raskin said he wasn’t sure it was “a choice” based on how presidential pardons work. He said while it “is strange” to be issued a pardon without having done anything wrong, he is concerned about threats Trump has made to committee members.
“There was an attempted violent insurrection against the government and an attempt to overthrow a presidential election. Our committee definitively and exhaustively reported on everything that happened. Nobody has contradicted any of the facts in there,” Raskin said. “And the idea that they’re going to try to prosecute [committee vice chair] Liz Cheney or [committee chair] Bennie Thompson or any of us is just absurd.”
Wheaton resident and U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn was also included among Monday morning’s pardons. Dunn is credited for protecting members of Congress during the Jan. 6 attack and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022 by Biden and the U.S. Congress for his actions.
“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,” Dunn told The Washington Post on Monday. “I, like all of the other public servants, was just doing my job and upholding my oath, and I will always honor that.”
In June 2023, the Montgomery County Council honored Dunn with a proclamation expressing “gratitude for [Dunn’s] bravery and heroism.”