GOP governor pushes back on Trump suggestion of pardons for Jan. 6 rioters if elected

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said on Sunday that he disagreed with former President Trump's idea of potentially pardoning people charged in connection with storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"Of course not. Oh, my goodness, no," Sununu said on CNN's "State of the Union" when asked if the rioters who were part of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol should be pardoned.

"Look, the folks that were part of the riots and, frankly, the assault on the U.S. Capitol have to be held accountable," the governor added. "There's a rule of law. I don't care whether you were part of the burning cities in antifa in 2020, you were storming the Capitol in 2021. Everybody needs to be held fairly accountable across. That's part of leadership."

His remarks come after Trump suggested during a rally in Texas on Saturday that he would consider pardoning those charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol if he chose to run and was reelected president in 2024.

"If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly," Trump said.

"And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons," the former president added. "Because they are being treated so unfairly."

Also on Sunday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) echoed that sentiment on ABC's "This Week" regarding Trump's recent comments.

"We're a long ways from 2024, but let me say this: I do not think that President Trump should have made that pledge to do pardons. We should let the judicial process proceed," Collins said, adding that she would be "very unlikely" to vote for Trump in 2024.