Donald Trump made a rather bold statement last week that, in my opinion, was a mistake.
We all have our opinions regarding January 6, and plenty of people that support Trump and/or MAGA have opposing views on the people arrested.
Yet, Trump announced that if elected, he would pardon them all.
Now he is getting resistance, led by Senator Graham (R-S.C.).
Right or Wrong?
The reason I don’t like this statement from Trump is that it divides Republican voters and feeds the Democrat narrative.
It is also a promise akin to Democrats offering giveaways and soft-on-crime legislation.
Nobody can stop him from doing it if he gets elected, so why risk alienating some supporters by saying you will do this before you get into office.
Graham agrees that this is a “bad idea,” stating, “Pardons are given to people who admit misconduct, rehabilitate themselves.
“They’re not supposed to be used for other purposes.”
Senator Kevin Cramer (R-S.D.) added, “I don’t think potential candidates should hold pardons out as a promise.
“It’s somewhat problematic for me on a moral level and an ethical level — sort of like promising other giveaways to particular individuals.”
The bottom line is that there were people who committed crimes that day and should be punished; saying there should be a blanket pardon would make me a hypocrite.
I do not know the details of every case, so I am sure some people received overzealous sentences.
Trump could have stated that he would review the cases and issue pardons as he saw fit, which is far different from a blanket pardon.
Even Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) seems to be thinking more along my lines, stating, “Let’s see which ones he would choose to do.
“There’s no question it has been a massive prosecutorial effort.“
If I were Trump, I would take the approach that rather than issuing a blanket pardon for January 6, I would look into the lack of prosecutions during the George Floyd rioting.
There was a stark difference in how rioters were treated in these two cases, and that, more than anything else, must be rectified.
Level playing field… that is all we are asking for here.
Source: The Hill
