Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who officially entered the presidential race this week, said Thursday that, if elected, he would consider pardoning people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol — possibly including his rival for the GOP nomination, former President Donald Trump.
DeSantis has consistently ranked second to Trump in national polls and has sought to draw a contrast to the former president while being reluctant to outright attack him. In an appearance on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” a conservative radio talk show, DeSantis said that on “Day One” of his presidency, he would let his staff handle the affairs of January 6 rioters, pro-life protesters and parents. to research. arrested for their actions at school board meetings, and allegedly be “aggressive” in granting pardons.
“We will use the clemency power — and I will do that up front,” DeSantis said, claiming that the Justice Department and FBI were “armed” to punish people from “unfavorable groups” unequally.
When asked if he would consider pardoning Trump if he were charged with federal wrongdoings, DeSantis replied that “any example of adverse treatment based on politics or armaments would be included in that review, however small or large. “
A spokesman for the Trump campaign did not specifically respond to a request for comment on DeSantis’ comments. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung instead pointed to an NBC News report that DeSantis administration officials have solicited campaign contributions from Florida lobbyists — a violation of traditional norms that raises ethical and legal questions — and called Florida’s governor “the 2024- version of Crooked Hillary’.
DeSantis’ office has not returned a request for comment on the campaign requests.
On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters attacked the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory. The siege and its aftermath left five people dead and about 140 members of law enforcement injured. More than 1,000 people involved in the attack have been arrested, of whom more than 480 have been convicted. Hundreds of additional January 6 rioters have been identified but not yet charged.
During his candidacy, Trump has praised the rioters, many of them convicted of violent crimes. Earlier this month, Trump said he would pardon a “large portion” of those convicted of federal offenses for their roles in the riot.
“I tend to pardon many of them,” Trump said at a town hall hosted by CNN at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. “I can’t say for everyone because a few are probably out of control.”
A special counsel is investigating Trump for his actions related to the January 6 attack, though no charges have been announced. In March, Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges of falsifying corporate records surrounding hush money given toward the end of his 2016 campaign to a woman he allegedly had an affair with. contribution cap for the federal campaign. Trump has repeatedly denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the Manhattan district attorney’s charges.
Earlier this month, Trump was found liable for sexual assault and defamation in a civil suit, which is not subject to a presidential pardon — a constitutional power that applies only to federal crimes.
Still, some Republican candidates have publicly pledged to pardon Trump if elected president. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy promised to pardon Trump on his first day in office he should be elected president. So said Republican nominee Perry Johnson the same.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
