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Donald Trump has spent much of the campaign season lying uncontrollably about the Jan. 6 attack he instigated, and at the former president’s latest rally in Pennsylvania, the Republican kept the assault on reality going. Trump repeated a familiar lie about Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, he lied again about his Jan. 6 crowd size, and he rewrote history by claiming that some of his followers “walked peacefully and patriotically down to the Capitol.”
As part of the same remarks, Trump also falsely accused members of the Jan. 6 committee of “deleting and destroying” evidence that would’ve made him appear innocent.
But as exasperating as these false claims were, the more important rhetoric came a few hours earlier, during Trump’s disastrous appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists. The New York Times reported:
Former President Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that he would pardon rioters who assaulted police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, further embracing those who stormed the building as he sought to stay in power despite his election loss.
As difficult as this might be to believe, ABC News anchor Rachel Scott reminded the Republican of the extensive injuries to police officers during the insurrectionist violence, including an officer who lost an eye. She asked whether the rioters who clashed with those officers are “patriots” who “deserve pardons.”Trump initially responded by ignoring the question and talking about protesters spray-painting limestone at the Capitol last week.
So Scott tried again, asking whether he’s prepared to pardon “rioters who assaulted police officers.” The GOP nominee replied, “Oh, absolutely. If they’re innocent, I’d pardon them.”
When Scott noted that they were talking about criminals who’ve already been convicted, Trump added that they were “convicted by a very, very tough system” — as if that somehow left open the possibility that the violent rioters, some of whom pleaded guilty, might still be innocent and deserving of presidential pardons.This was, as a Politico report noted, “the most explicit promise Trump has made about the range of defendants he might spring from prison if he takes office — a group that now appears to include some of the most notoriously violent actors that day.”
Quite right. As regular readers might recall, it was in mid-March when the former president declared that pardoning “the January 6 Hostages,” whom he said were being “wrongfully imprisoned,” would be among his “first acts” upon returning to the White House. Less than a week later, Trump offered some additional clarity to his plan: Jan. 6 rioters could expect pardons on “the first day” of his second term.
According to those on the former president’s team, Jan. 6 pardons would be considered on a case-by-case basis — the idea being that Trump would exercise at least some caution and wouldn’t simply pardon everyone convicted of crimes related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
But the presumptive GOP nominee himself apparently has a different perspective on this.
When Trump sat down with Time magazine’s Eric Cortellessa in the spring, the reporter reminded him that more than 800 Jan. 6 participants have been sentenced through our judicial system and most of them pleaded guilty. Others were convicted by juries. “Will you consider pardoning every one of them?” Cortellessa asked.
“I would consider that, yes,” Trump replied.
Apparently surprised, the Time reporter added, “Really?” to which the Republican said, “Yes, absolutely.” (He went on to share some related and bizarre ideas about the police “ushering” rioters into the Capitol, and a nefarious “they” who “destroyed” evidence that would’ve made him look better.)
As an NBC News report added soon after, Trump was referring to Jan. 6 defendants “caught on tape brandishing or using firearms, stun guns, flagpoles, fire extinguishers, bike racks, batons, a metal whip, office furniture, pepper spray, bear spray, a tomahawk ax, a hatchet, a hockey stick, knuckle gloves, a baseball bat, a massive ‘Trump’ billboard, ‘Trump’ flags, a pitchfork, pieces of lumber, crutches and even an explosive device during the brutal attack that injured about 140 police officers.”It was two years ago when the Republican first broached this subject, telling a Tennessee audience that he would look “very, very seriously” at pardoning those who were arrested for Jan. 6 crimes. For emphasis, he added, “very, very seriously.”
Twenty-five months later, his position on the rioters, whom he’s labeled “J-6 patriots,” is far more radical — to the point that Trump is now the first major-party presidential candidate in the history of American politics to run on a platform that effectively says, “Vote for me and I’ll deliberately release violent criminals back onto the streets.”
As we’ve discussed, it’s also important to acknowledge the broader circumstances. In the weeks, months and years that followed the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, federal prosecutors got to work charging rioters, not just because they committed crimes, and not just to hold them accountable, but also to prevent future attacks. The message was intended to be clear: The United States prosecuted these insurrectionists, so those thinking about following in their footsteps should expect to face legal consequences, too.
Trump intends to silence that message, undo what’s been done and make clear that criminals who ignore the law in his name need not worry about accountability.
There is arguably no greater example of the Republican’s hostility toward the rule of law.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.