After President-elect Donald Trump won reelection in November, reports began to swirl that Biden may issue pardons to shield people who could face repercussions for their defiance of the president-elect. On Monday, roughly five hours before Trump is sworn in for a second term, Biden issued those pardons.

“Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy,” Biden wrote in a statement about the pardons. “Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.”

In addition to the lawmakers who served on the disbanded House select committee, Biden pardoned the staff of the former committee and the police officers from the Capitol Police Department and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department who testified before the committee.

The president also said in announcing the pardons that those accepting them should not be viewed as admitting they are guilty of a crime.

“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. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country,” Biden said in a statement.

Trump had frequently targeted members of the former House Jan. 6 committee, including former Rep. Liz Cheney, along with Fauci and Milley, while campaigning last year. Biden did not issue preemptive pardons in this batch for former special counsel Jack Smith or other prosecutors who pursue legal cases against Trump.

Biden had been hinting at issuing preemptive pardons in the final weeks of his presidency, drawing scrutiny and debate about the appropriateness of such actions.

Two former members of the House Jan. 6 committee, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger and now-Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), said they did not want a preemptive pardon.

Milley told CNN he is “deeply grateful” for the preemptive pardon and added that he did not want to spend years possibly having to fight legal battles.

“After 43 years of faithful service in uniform to our nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights,” Milley said. “I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”

Biden issued a controversial pardon for his son Hunter Biden late last year after his son had been convicted on gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax charges.

The president also commuted the sentences of most of the people on federal death row last month, leaving only three death sentences in tact while commuting the other 37 people on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole.