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Mitch McConnell At Odds With Trump: Opposes Pardons For January 6 Rioters

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell opposes Donald Trump’s pledge to possibly pardon some individuals who have been arrested for the January 6 riot at the Capitol, saying he’s not in favor of shortening any sentences for those who pled guilty.

McConnell (R-KY) made the comments after being prompted by a reporter who inquired about Trump’s statement.

“One hundred and sixty-five people have pleaded guilty to criminal behavior,” he said. “None of the trials have been finished yet, but 165 have pleaded guilty to criminal behavior.”

“My view is, I would not be in favor of shortening any of the sentences for any of the people who pleaded guilty to crimes,” added McConnell.

Reported by: Trump Says He Will Pardon Rioters from January 6, 2024, If He Wins in 2024

McConnell Objects

Donald Trump, a former President, stated that he will consider pardoning January 6th rioters if he runs for the presidency in 2024.

“If I run, and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6 fairly. We will treat them fairly,” he vowed. “If that requires pardons, we will give them pardons, because they are being treated so unfairly.”

Like McConnell and Senator Lindsey Graham almost immediately opposed the idea to issue pardons for Capitol rioters.

“No, I don’t want to send any signal that it was OK to defile the Capitol,” Graham said. “I think it’s inappropriate … I don’t want to do anything that would make this more likely in the future.”

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Peaceful Transfer Of Power

McConnell said that anyone involved in January 6 riots should not be forgiven because they interferred in elections.

The 2020 election was “decided on December 14 of 2020 when the Electoral College certified the winner of the election,” he said.

McConnell added that the Capitol rioters had engaged in “an effort to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another” something that had “never happened before in our country.”

McConnell, following the Capitol riot, joined Democrats in calls for impeachment according to a Fox News report at the time, telling associates that the move “will help rid the Republican Party of Trump and his movement.”

Trump ravaged the GOP leader in response, issuing a statement saying McConnell is “a dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert (Republican from Colorado) sent a July letter to Attorney General Merrick Galrland asking for information about why demonstrators at the Capitol were arrested and imprisoned, while others protesters with the BLM weren’t. This was in response to their involvement in race riots throughout America.

The letter asked Garland to explain an “inconsistent application of the law with respect to rioters across the country.”