Trump Dangles 'Full Pardons' For Jan. 6 Defendants If He's Reelected

Ryan Grenoble
Updated ·2 min read
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Donald Trump says he’s “looking very strongly” at pardoning Jan. 6 defendants if he runs again for office and is reelected, but first he’d like his supporters to line his pockets.

The former president made the comments in an interview Thursday with Wendy Bell, a far-right media personality in Pennsylvania, where Trump-endorsed Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz’s campaign is struggling to gain traction.

“I will tell you, I will look very, very favorably about full pardons if I decide to run, and if I win,” Trump said. “I will be looking very, very strongly about pardons. Full pardons.”

“And I mean full pardons with an apology,” he added, expanding on the claim he first made in June.

It’s unclear if Trump’s list would include the numerous Republican congressmen who sought presidential pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.

Among them is Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann said requested a pardon that “was as broad as you can describe ... for any and all things.” Gaetz is currently under a federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking.

The violent mob at the U.S. Capitol that Trump incited on Jan. 6 killed five people, including one police officer, injured another 140 officers and led to four police suicides. Trump hoped to use the violence to force Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost by 7 million popular votes.

Trump also suggested that he’s “financially supporting” some of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists ― though he stopped short of explicitly saying that, stating only that he’s “supporting people that are incredible.”

Bell didn’t dig into the assertion or ask for evidence to support the claim.

An email seeking comment from Trump’s representatives regarding who exactly he’s financially supporting, how they were selected, and where the purported money came from wasn’t returned.

After making the claim, Trump asked Bell’s listeners to fork over money in support of the cause.

“I’ve studied it, I’ve studied cases, and contributions should be made,” he said. “We have to do that, because you know they have some good lawyers, but even the good lawyers ... you get some of these judges that are so nasty, and angry, and mean.”

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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