To pardon or not to pardon: That is the question in this week’s Facts Over Fear.
With just a few weeks to go before President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House for the second time, one of the few pledges he’s made that he may actually follow through on will be to pardon many of the Jan. 6 defendants on day one, erasing their crimes against our nation’s Capitol on what was an historic assault on our country’s fragile democracy.
And while two-thirds of Americans oppose pardons for people convicted of crimes in the riot according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, a strong majority of Trump voters – 69% – approve of them.
Right now, some 90 Pennsylvanians, including members of the Proud Boys, could be cleared for their crimes on Jan. 6, 2021, which included pepper-spraying and attacking law enforcement officers who attempted to prevent the breach of the U.S. Capitol as members of Congress were certifying presidential election results.
And lest we forget Trump’s 2020 campaign attempted to install fake GOP electors in seven swing states – including Pennsylvania. His congressional supporters are now pushing for criminal charges against those who dared investigate his actions on Jan. 6.
If Trump does decide to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters, then it only opens the door for more political violence in the name of Trump with no consequences to speak of.
And that my friends is a fact.