‘F*** it, release em all:’: Inside Trump’s decision to issue blanket Jan 6 pardons
In one of the first acts of his second administration, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly all of the January 6 criminals and new details reveal the spur-of-the-moment decision to release 1,500 people charged.
“Trump just said: ‘F*** it: Release ‘em all,’” an adviser familiar with the discussions told the Axios.
On the campaign trail, Trump flirted with pardoning who he describes as the “J6 hostages,” and on Monday decided to issue pardons to most of the people charged in connection to the riot and effort to overturn the 2020 election. That ended their prison sentence and allowed those convicted to walk out of prison.
Trump had fluctuated on whether to grant clemency to either some or all rioters convicted of January 6-related crimes. Ultimately, the decision was made in the spur of the moment, White House advisers told Axios.
Read more about the Jan. 6 rioters that Donald Trump pardoned
Trump’s pardons were made in defiance of JD Vance’s advice that convicts who committed violence during the Capitol attack shouldn’t be granted clemency. He told Fox News last week: “If you committed violence that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.”
The president’s move also came as a surprise to some Republicans, who have said they don’t agree with his move.
“Well, I think I agree with the vice president,” Sen. Mitch McConnell told Semafor. “No one should excuse violence. And particularly violence against police officers.”
Sen. Thom Tillis also appeared to agree with Vance’s comment, telling CNN: “I’ve got concerns with any pardons for people who did any harm to police officers. Full stop. And I’ve also got serious concerns with all of the pardons by Biden including the prospective pardons. That may mean we need to look at what that authority really entails.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski also worried about how police officers would be affected by the order. Nearly 150 officers were injured in the Capitol riot. “I’m disappointed to see that and I do fear the message that is sent to these great men and women that stood by us,” she told the HuffPost.
In the wake of the sweeping pardons, one officer who was injured during the Capitol attack said he felt “betrayed” by Trump’s decision.
Brian Fanone, a former DC Metropolitan police officer, told CNN: “I have been betrayed by my country, and I’ve been betrayed by those that supported Donald Trump, whether you voted for him because he promised these pardons, or for some other reason, you knew that this was coming. And here we are.”
Other Republicans were quiet, avoiding voicing an opinion on the matter whatsoever.
“It’s the president’s prerogative,” Sen. John Cornyn told The Independent. “Congress doesn’t have a role.”
Similarly, Sen. John Hoeven told The Independent: “My understanding, there was a range of actions that he took and I guess I want to look and see what those are.”
