Former President Donald Trump once again raised the possibility that he may run again in 2024 and said he would consider pardoning those who were charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot if he wins the election. “Another thing we’ll do—and so many people have been asking me about it—if I run and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6 fairly. We will treat them fairly,” Trump said at a rally in Conroe, Texas. “And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons. Because they are being treated so unfairly.”
Trump’s comments highlighted how the former president and many of his allies are trying to rewrite history and act as if the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol wasn’t really a big deal and everyone involved should be forgiven. There are even some who are claiming the attack on the Capitol was instigated by the FBI and characterizing the approximately 50 people who are being detained before trial in connection to the riot as “political prisoners.” More than 700 people have been charged in connection to the Capitol riot. “It’s a disgrace. It’s a disgrace,” Trump said of the prosecutions.
The majority of those charged in connection to the riot are facing misdemeanor charges, meaning any sentences are likely to be finished before Trump could move into the White House again. But many are also facing some charges that could land them behind bars for years. Some of those facing the most serious charges have complained that Trump did little to help them in his final days in office even as he pardoned other allies. If any of his supporters believe Trump has a good chance of winning, the suggestion of pardons could affect their decision on whether to accept any plea deals.
Trump didn’t just complain of the prosecutions against the Capitol rioters but also the investigations he and his businesses are facing from New York prosecutors. “These prosecutors are vicious, horrible people. They’re racists and they’re very sick—they’re mentally sick,” he said. “They’re going after me without any protection of my rights from the Supreme Court or most other courts. In reality, they’re not after me, they’re after you.” The former president went on to call for “the biggest protests we have ever had” if prosecutors “do anything wrong or illegal.
