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

Retired Gen. Mark Milley has expressed his gratitude to President Joe Biden for issuing him a pardon, saying the move alleviates his concerns over potential "retribution" by the incoming Trump administration.

Joe Biden pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Separately, Biden commuted the life sentence of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier.

President Joe Biden on Monday commuted the sentence of Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist convicted of killing two FBI agents nearly 50 years ago in South Dakota. Peltier, 80,

Retired Gen. Mark Milley says he's grateful to Biden for a pardon so he no longer has to worry about 'retribution.

A portrait of former top US military officer Mark Milley – a foe of Donald Trump – has been taken down at the Pentagon following the president's inauguration. | TAG24

In his final hours as president, Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons for several individuals, including family members and high-profile figures like Liz Cheney and Mark Milley. The pardons extend to members of the Jan.

The pardon also covers all lawmakers who served on the congressional select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.

American Indian activist Leonard Peltier speaks during a 1999 interview at the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan. President Joe Biden commuted to home confinement Peltier's life sentence after he spent most of his life in prison for the killing of two FBI agents in South Dakota in 1975.

Biden issued the sweeping pardons just minutes before he departed the White House for the final time as president

That Biden felt it necessary to pre-emptively pardon his family members and political allies belies attempts by Democrats to claim that “democracy” has been affirmed by the peaceful transfer of power to Trump.