Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., stated on Sunday that he thinks President Donald Trump erred in pardoning people who were found guilty of violent crimes or who entered guilty pleas to violent crimes during the Capitol incident on January 6, 2021.
Graham told NBC News Meet the Press, “I think it was a mistake to pardon the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently, because it seems like that’s okay to do.”
Graham compared former President Joe Biden’s choice to pardon a number of his family members during his final hours in office last week to Trump’s decision to pardon heinous offenders.
Biden pardoned half of his family members before leaving. Graham told Meet the Press presenter Kristen Welker, “I think most Americans will revisit the pardon power of the president if this continues.”
“I think it’s a mistake to pardon violent people who beat up cops,” he continued.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., concurred with Graham later in the show, saying Welker that Biden was incorrect to grant these pardons.
What it says now to the Trump family and President Trump’s children, he said, is that they may commit any crime, graft, or other wrongdoing and expect to be pardoned when they leave. You don’t want to convey that message to this family—or, for that matter, to any family that occupies the White House.
Trump fulfilled one of his most frequently cited campaign pledges on Monday, just hours after taking the oath of office for a second term, by using his presidential pardon authority to pardon almost 1,500 of his followers who had entered guilty pleas or been found guilty of crimes committed on January 6.
On a day when more than 140 police officers were hurt, he pardoned people who had been found guilty of serious crimes or who had entered guilty pleas.
Graham, however, underlined that Trump was keeping a pledge he made during the campaign when he decided to pardon his supporters.
Many supporters of President Trump’s law enforcement [disapproved of] this, yet he made the statement during the campaign. “He’s not playing tricks,” Graham stated.
“I’ll be consistent here,” he continued. Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, I don’t appreciate the idea of releasing individuals from prison or forgiving those who beat up police officers and set cities on fire.