Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to imprison members of the House Jan. 6 Committee “an outrageous statement” on Sunday and suggested that President Joe Biden take into account pardoning committee members in advance.
This is the essence of authoritarianism. “That’s the essence of dictatorship,” Sanders stated.
Then-Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., were asked on NBC News Meet the Press if Biden should think about preemptive pardons for committee members, which included two House Republicans and seven House Democrats. Sanders responded, “Well, I think he might want to consider that very seriously.”
On “Meet the Press” last week, Trump declared that the members of the committee that was entrusted with looking into the Jan. 6 incident “should go to jail.”
His supporters had “been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open,” he added, adding that he would try to pardon those who were found guilty of their roles in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
For their acts on January 6, more than 1,500 individuals were charged, and more than 1,200 of them were found guilty or entered guilty pleas.
A request for response to Sanders’ comments was not immediately answered by a representative of the Trump transition team.
Not every Republican supports Trump’s strategy.
Earlier Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a prominent Trump ally, stated unequivocally “no” when asked if he agrees that committee members should be imprisoned in an interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.
Committee members such as Democrats Adam Schiff of California and committee chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi criticized Trump for his remarks.
On Capitol Hill, Thompson assured reporters that the committee members had not broken any laws.
“I’m at ease with the fact that we were performing our duties as members of Congress, and as long as we perform our duties, we have certain guarantees, and I look forward to enforcing those guarantees,” he added.
Cheney stated in a statement that Donald Trump’s call for the imprisonment of congressional members who looked into his unlawful and unconstitutional activities is part of his ongoing attack on the rule of law and the foundations of our nation.
Schiff, who has since been sworn into the Senate, stated that Trump’s comments were inappropriate for a democratic president.
In an interview with ABC News’ “This Week,” Schiff stated his reasons for opposing Biden’s practice of issuing preemptive pardons.
Schiff stated in the interview, which aired on Sunday, “I think we don’t want to set the precedent of giving blanket pardons, pre-emptive blanket pardons on the way out of an administration.” Additionally, he stated that the members of the Jan. 6 Committee “are very proud of the work we did.”
In the interview, Schiff stated that he has expressed his opinions on preemptive pardons “both publicly and privately to the administration.”
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