In statements described as shocking, former U.S. President Donald Trump said he could “very seriously” consider a full pardon for the Capitol attackers on January 6, 2021, if he runs for president again and wins.
“If I decide to run and win, I will push hard for a full pardon,” he told Wendy Bell Radio on Thursday night.
He also added that he would consider a general amnesty for all those involved, as he cannot allow that, in regards to prosecutions and trials.
“Shocking” statements
Representative Zoe Lofgren, a member of the House Committee of Inquiry into the January 6 events, called the claims “shocking,” especially after one of the attackers was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier Thursday for assaulting a police officer. “The talk of the former president about pardoning people involved in such behavior is really shocking,” she said.
“Think about it”
Notably, Trump has yet to make a final decision on whether to run in 2024, his son-in-law and former aide Jared Kushner said Friday.
But he clarified in statements to Sky News that the former president is thinking about it, saying: “It’s preventing him from seeing what’s going on in the country.”
Asked when he could make a decision, Kushner replied, “No one can speak for him.”
10 years in prison
Notably, a retired New York cop was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in Washington DC for his role in the Capitol attack, the longest sentence handed down to a rioter to date.
This attack caused great shock and upheaval in the United States and was described as a blow to democracy in the country and later led to the arrest of over 860 people.