Political Tribune

2024, Crime

Vance Shocks GOP By Claiming Jan. 6th Rioters ‘Obviously’ Don’t Deserve Pardons

J.D. Vance angered some MAGA fans by implying that not all January 6 convicts will be pardoned.

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The January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which led directly to Donald Trump’s second impeachment and one of his criminal indictments, led to more than 1,500 criminal cases, including 250 criminal convictions after trials and about 1,000 guilty pleas. Some, including the leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers extremist groups, have been convicted under seditious conspiracy statutes and given long prison terms.

Even before Donald Trump was re-elected to another term, a bogus counter-narrative emerged about the Capitol riot, arguing either that the riot was a mere “guided tour,” or possibly that federal informants instigated the entire riot. Some in the MAGA coalition have demanded that Trump pardon everyone charged with January 6-related crimes- something Trump has implied that he may do.

So some MAGA fans were upset when incoming Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview that those convicted of violent crimes on that day should not be pardoned.

“I think it’s very simple, look if you protested peacefully on January 6th, and you had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance said in a Fox News interview Sunday, as reported by Politico.

“If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there.”

The conservative influencers the Hodge Twins took exception:

And Vance himself replied:

 

“[H]onestly people have suffered for 4 years and many are still in flux and terrified. A word of reassurance from the top would go a long way for people,” activist Brandon Straka told Politico. “The silence on the issue just exacerbates the victims’ anxiety. Hopefully some kind of messaging comes soon.”
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library. 

Stephen Silver

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Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy.

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