In recent years, some of the most eloquent commentary regarding the January 6 attack has unexpectedly come from federal judges, many of whom have sentenced insurgent rioters. Judge Royce Lamberth, a lawyer appointed by Reagan, has been particularly outspoken, warning of a “vicious cycle… that could endanger our institutions” if Americans, dismayed by future election results, resort to “vigilance, lawlessness and anarchy’ that took place on January 6, 2021.
“We as a society, as a community and as a country cannot normalize the events of January 6,” Lamberth added earlier this year.
The judge clearly hasn’t changed his mind. As last week came to a close and three more men who took part in the attack on the US Capitol were sentenced to prison, Lamberth stated: “Whatever ultimately happens with the Capitol riot cases that have already been completed and are still pending , the true story of what happened on January 6, 2021, will never change.”
The wording was not accidental: by referring to the uncertainty surrounding the cases, the lawyer implicitly acknowledged the fact that Donald Trump could soon pardon the rioters – a commitment that the Republican has publicly emphasized for more than two years.
Two days later, audiences saw the president-elect’s final appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press — his first sit-down interview since Election Day — which highlighted Trump’s pledge to act “very quickly” to stop criminals on Jan. 6 to release. , adding that Americans should expect him to take these steps on the “first day” of his second term. (He said there might be some exceptions for “crazy” people. In the same conversation, he spread nonsense about law enforcement officers infiltrating the mafia.)
As the NBC News report noted, Trump also did not rule out pardoning people who had pleaded guilty, even when host Kristen Welker asked him about those who had admitted to assaulting police officers. “Because they had no choice,” the president-elect added.
In context, it wasn’t entirely clear whether he meant that the rioters who violently clashed with police officers “had no choice but to plead guilty,” or whether they “had no choice” but to attack law enforcement, but how Also, Trump apparently plans to give the violent criminals a ‘get out of jail free’ card.
But as part of the same interview, the Republican not only defended the Jan. 6 rioters, he also lashed out at those investigating the attack on the Capitol. The New York Times report noted:
“For what they did, quite frankly, they should go to jail,” Trump said [former Rep. Liz] Cheney, a Republican who represented Wyoming, and the rest of the bipartisan House committee that investigated the attack.
It’s important to emphasize that during the same “Meet the Press” appearance, the president-elect said he would not direct the Justice Department or the FBI to prosecute any of the Jan. 6 committee members — none of whom have been credibly accused of any form of crime. misconduct.
But that is much more provocative than it seems at first glance.
On the surface, Trump was essentially arguing that he thinks the Jan. 6 bipartisan panel is filled with criminals, but that he is refraining from imposing federal law enforcement on the commission’s former members. But just beneath the surface there are important details that deserve attention.
First, there are ample reasons to believe the Republican will do the opposite, as his record is littered with accusations that he has in fact given explicit directions to prosecute his alleged political opponents.
Second, Trump said in the “Meet the Press” interview, referring to FBI officials, “If they think someone was dishonest or corrupt, or a corrupt politician, I think [Kash Patel] probably has an obligation to do it. The President-elect has, of course, falsely accused the January 6 committee member of being dishonest, corrupt and corrupt.
But perhaps most importantly, we are dealing with a rhetorical shell game. As the Times’ Jonathan Swan summarized, “Trump is sending clear public signals to his nominees that he wants retribution, even though he then says he won’t push them to action. But by saying that Jack Smith is ‘corrupt’ and that members of the Jan. 6 committee belong in jail, Trump is making no secret of what he wants his Justice Department to do.”
Precisely. The president-elect just told a national television audience that he believes the January 6 commission was made up of criminals. At that point, it is largely irrelevant whether he literally orders the FBI or the Justice Department to launch investigations.
Trump expects loyalists to make me happy – and he left no doubt about what would make him happy. The message was not subtle and was almost certainly noticed by those eager to do his bidding.
The Republican does not need to give direct orders under circumstances like these. He is eager to install partisan loyalists in positions of authority while making his preferences known. They are expected to know exactly what to do, which makes the discussion of preventive pardons all the more relevant.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
