Trump would give ‘full pardons with an apology’ to Capitol rioters if elected again
Donald Trump said he would pardon and apologize to the hundreds of people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots if elected to a second presidential term in 2024.
The former president made the remarks to a conservative radio host Thursday morning as he weighs a third consecutive run for the White House while under dueling investigations by the feds for his role in the riots and classified materials seized from his Florida home.
“I mean full pardons with an apology to many,” he told Wendy Bell
“I met with and I’m financially supporting people that are incredible,” he said, referring to some of the more than 800 people that have been charged in the violent breach.
“And they were in my office actually two days ago. It’s very much on my mind. It’s a disgrace what they’ve done to them. What they’ve done to these people, it’s disgraceful.
“And mostly, it’s .. they’re fireman, they’re policemen, they’re people in the military,” Trump said of the suspects who tried to stop Congress from certifying President Biden’s electoral victory amid his false claims of election fraud.
The Republican had harsh words for the federal prosecutors that had sentenced almost 250 criminals in connection with the siege that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.
On Thursday, a judge handed down the longest prison term yet in connection with the case, sending former NYPD Officer Thomas Webster to ten years behind bars after he was caught on camera attacking a cop with a flagpole.
“You know this radical left system, these people are sick. There’s something wrong with them. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. They’re sick. And they’re cold,” he said of federal prosecutors.
“They’re the most coldhearted people, they don’t care about families, they don’t care about anything,” Trump continued.
The remarks by Trump, 76, came hours before Biden, 79, was expected to double down on his recent pointed attacks of rapid supporters of his predecessor.
“The MAGA Republicans … refuse to accept the will of the people, they embrace political violence,” Biden said last week while stumping for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.