Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons — the potential for political backlash is real
Even though President Donald Trump had vowed to deliver pardons to those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the Capitol, his sweeping clemency for roughly 1,500 people was stunning.
The recipients of Trump’s incredible generosity included Enrique Tarrio, a onetime leader of the Proud Boys who was convicted of sedition and serving a 22-year sentence; Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, who was serving an 18-year sentence for his involvement; and about 600 people who had been charged with assaulting or resisting law enforcement officers, including more than 170 who were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or seriously injuring an officer. Plenty of people were convicted of nonviolent offenses, but the notion that Jan. 6 was peaceful or a “day of love,” as Trump called it, is an abject lie.
If history is any guide, this is not likely to be the last time that you hear about these people.
Trump promised to “free” the Jan. 6 defendants on his first day back in office, and he has now followed through on that promise. But this will not be a one-day story, and Trump — and the Republican Party — may come to regret the political costs of this decision.
For starters, Trump’s blanket pardon is unpopular, and it could help to frame early perceptions of his return to the White House. After the election, multiple polls reported that somewhere around two-thirds of Americans opposed Trump’s promise to pardon the Jan. 6 defendants, including about two-thirds of independents.
It is not hard to understand why: Despite the best efforts of Trump and many of his political allies, most Americans have not forgotten about what happened that day, and most Americans have rejected the fantasyland version of events that Trump has sought to portray. That is why Trump’s approval rating collapsed after Jan. 6, even though it has since recovered. That is why surveys showed most Americans wanted Trump to stand trial in Washington in the Justice Department’s prosecution alleging that he tried to steal the 2020 election in the run-up to the Jan. 6 riot. That is why most Americans repeatedly told pollsters that they thought Trump was guilty of criminal conduct. And that is why about half of the country said that Trump should have gone to prison if he had been convicted in the election subversion case. [Continue reading…]
President Trump’s near-total pardon of Jan. 6 rioters was denounced by the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the U.S., and the International Association of Chiefs of Police on Tuesday.
The big picture: The groups said they’re deeply discouraged by pardons and commutations made by both the Biden and Trump administrations of individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers.
Driving the news: The groups said in a statement they firmly believe those convicted of such crimes should serve full sentences.
- “Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families,” per the statement.
- “When perpetrators of crimes, especially serious crimes, are not held fully accountable, it sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence,” the unions said.
Fresh from being freed by President Trump’s sweeping grants of clemency, two of the nation’s most notorious far-right leaders — Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers militia — spoke out this week.
While the men avoided any declarations about the future of their battered organizations, they asserted unrepentantly that they wanted Mr. Trump to seek revenge on their behalf for being prosecuted in connection with the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Before Mr. Trump offered them a reprieve on Monday night, both men had been serving lengthy prison terms — Mr. Tarrio 22 years and Mr. Rhodes 18 years — on seditious conspiracy convictions arising from the roles they played in the storming of the Capitol. The charges they faced and the punishment they got were among the most serious imposed against any of the nearly 1,600 people prosecuted in connection with Jan. 6.
Perhaps for that reason, their remarks, made to largely friendly audiences, were couched in a tone of cautious belligerence.
They were cagey about what sort of profile the organizations they once led would strike in a second Trump administration. But they clearly echoed assertions by the president and some of his allies that those who sought to hold Mr. Trump and the Jan. 6 rioters accountable should themselves face some sort of punishment.
“Success,” Mr. Tarrio said, “is going to be retribution.” [Continue reading…]