Blumenthal 'strongly opposes' Biden pardons for Jan. 6 panel members

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) poured cold water on the idea of President Biden preemptively pardoning lawmakers who served on the House panel tasked with investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

"I strongly oppose preemptive pardons. First of all, it’s in some ways going to be perceived as an implicit acknowledgment of guilt," Blumenthal told CNN's Jim Acosta Wednesday, citing his own credibility as a federal prosecutor and state attorney general for roughly two decades.

"And people should know that walking into a courtroom and making charges is far from proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," he continued in the interview, highlighted by Mediaite. "There is no evidence of wrongdoing against those members of the January 6th committees who brought those impeachment articles or who prosecuted them."

The final report released by the committee in 2022 included several legislative recommendations, with one that seeks to bar Trump from holding office in the future under the 14th Amendment. The panel also argued that the former president should not be allowed to serve in government because the amendment's insurrection clause prohibits people who “engaged in insurrection” from holding such posts.

Blumenthal's opposition comes as President-elect Trump expressed openness to having lawmakers on the Jan. 6 special committee imprisoned during an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday.

Though, some members of the special committee have hit back at Trump, saying the criminal conduct surrounding the riots was committed by Trump and his supporters, not those who investigated the incident afterward.

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who has emerged one of Trump's most vocal critics following the Capitol riot, called the threat an “assault on the rule of law.”

“Here is the truth: Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election and seize power,” Cheney said in a statement provided to The Hill.

"He mobilized an angry mob and sent them to the United States Capitol, where they attacked police officers, invaded the building and halted the official counting of electoral votes," she wrote. "Trump watched on television as police officers were brutally beaten and the Capitol was assaulted, refusing for hours to tell the mob to leave."

Blumenthal on Wednesday suggested that the president-elect would likely face scrutiny for any attempts to imprison members of the panel.

"I think any such unfounded, unjust charges against people who simply did their jobs would ultimately cause a backlash against Donald Trump because there will be acquittals and the costs of their defense or investigation, I think, should be borne by a defense fund," the Connecticut Democrat said.

His comments come after Biden had discussions with members of his senior team about using his pardon power to shield those Trump critics, sparking formal deliberations in the White House counsel’s office.

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