Thune says Jan. 6 pardons are decision Trump will have to make
New Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said it’s President-elect Trump’s decision to pardon Jan. 6 rioters.
Thune joined NBC News’s “Meet the Press” for an interview that aired Sunday, where he was asked by host Kristen Welker how he felt about Trump’s promise to pardon Jan. 6 defendants once he was back in the White House.
“That’s ultimately going to be a decision that President Trump is going to have to make,” Thune said of the pardons.
Last month, Trump told Time magazine that pardons would start within “the first hour” or even in the “first nine minutes.”
Trump has long promised to grant clemency to those who stormed the Capitol as Congress certified President Biden’s 2020 election victory. On the campaign trail, he called them “political prisoners.”
This year marks the fourth anniversary of rioters storming the Capitol after leaving Trump’s rally at the Eclipse in Washington.
When asked about Trump’s potential pardons, Thune compared it to the recent pardons made by Biden.
In a controversial move, Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, after noting he would not grant his son clemency. Biden also announced pardons for 39 people and commuted sentences for 1,500 others.
“As we’ve discovered under the Biden administration, the pardon authority is a very broad one,” Thune said.
The new Senate leader said he isn’t examining the past, including Jan. 6, and instead is “focused on the future.”
“I think you learn from the past, you remember the past, but you live in the present and the future,” he said, turning his attention to the next administration’s goals.
-
Schumer: 'Utterly outrageous' Trump is considering pardons for Jan. 6 rioters
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke on the Senate floor before Congress meets to certify President-elect Trump's election victory. Schumer reflected on the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and called ...NBC News - 13h -
Schumer marks Jan. 6, condemns potential Trump pardons of Capitol rioters
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on Monday marked the four-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol and condemned the prospective pardons of the rioters who ...The Hill - 13h -
Trump promises pardons for Jan. 6 Capitol rioters
President-elect Donald Trump has promised pardons for those who stormed the Capitol four years ago to try to disrupt the certification of President Biden's election win. CBS News political ...CBS News - 14h -
4 years after Capitol attack, Trump pardons cloud future of Jan. 6 cases
With Trump's pledge to issue pardons and shut down the investigation, many of those who breached the Capitol four years ago could see their convictions erased.CBS News - 16h -
Trump's plans to pardon Jan. 6 defendants remain largely a mystery
WASHINGTON — Four years after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S.NBC News - 21h -
Thune: Trump administration will have to ‘make decisions’ on a ‘realistic’ deportation plan
In an interview with Meet the Press, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) discusses the feasibility of President-elect Trump’s mass deportation plans, but assured the incoming administration ...NBC News - 1d -
‘We have our country back’: convicted January 6 rioters anticipate Trump pardons
The president-elect has vowed to hand out pardons to non-violent offenders convicted for the assault on the US Capitol. Brandon Fellows, who broke into the US Capitol on January 6 and smoked ...The Guardian - 1d -
Lawmakers brace for Trump's promised Jan. 6 pardons. Some are urging restraint
The fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has a new focus as lawmakers brace for the prospect that Donald Trump may soon pardon many of the more than 1,500 people charged with ...ABC News - 1d -
Former Capitol Police officers call Trump’s vows to pardon Jan. 6 rioters ‘a betrayal’
Former Capitol Police officers present during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection said President-elect Trump’s commitment to pardon rioters is “a betrayal.” “It’s a betrayal, a stab in the heart,” former ...The Hill - 2d
More from The Hill
-
Dem Rep. Bera ready to meet Republicans '50-yard-line,' and even '40-yard-line' since they're in majority
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) said on Monday he is ready to meet Republicans “at the 50-yard-line” and even at “the 40-yard-line” due to them being “in the majority.” “So, the American public clearly ...The Hill - 3h -
Trump says he'll replace National Archives leader
President-elect Trump said on Monday that he’ll replace the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) leader. “We will [have a] new archivist,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh ...The Hill - 4h -
Biden says 'New Orleans defines strength and resilience' at service for victims
President Biden offered his condolences to the victims of the New Orleans New Year's Day attack, calling the Louisiana city one with a tough spirit at an interfaith prayer service with victims’ ...The Hill - 5h -
A Gaza ceasefire agreement in next 2 weeks? The US is hopeful
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story A Gaza ceasefire agreement in next 2 weeks? The US is hopeful The ...The Hill - 6h -
Musk asks his followers if the US 'should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government'
Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Monday asked his followers on the social platform X, which he owns, if the U.S. “should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government.” “America ...The Hill - 7h
More in Politics
-
California sheriff is Trump's blue-state ally
Riverside County, California, Sheriff Chad Bianco says he feels "very good" about President-elect Trump winning the election and calls Democrats' agenda "pro criminal." In the past, Bianco was a ...NBC News - 3h -
Dem Rep. Bera ready to meet Republicans '50-yard-line,' and even '40-yard-line' since they're in majority
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) said on Monday he is ready to meet Republicans “at the 50-yard-line” and even at “the 40-yard-line” due to them being “in the majority.” “So, the American public clearly ...The Hill - 3h -
Trump says he'll replace National Archives leader
President-elect Trump said on Monday that he’ll replace the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) leader. “We will [have a] new archivist,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh ...The Hill - 4h -
Miami Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio asks for Jan. 6 Trump pardon
Enrique Tarrio is asking President-elect Donald Trump for a pardon.CBS News - 5h -
Biden says 'New Orleans defines strength and resilience' at service for victims
President Biden offered his condolences to the victims of the New Orleans New Year's Day attack, calling the Louisiana city one with a tough spirit at an interfaith prayer service with victims’ ...The Hill - 5h