CNN reporter Boris Sanchez on Wednesday clashed with Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania) after the congressman defended and downplayed former President Trump’s promise to pardon everyone convicted of crimes related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Muether called the riot an “ugly day” and initially downplayed the idea of Trump pardoning violent criminals.
“I think the president will come out and say what it was, what the American people saw, and he will condemn it,” he said. Said.
“Well, he said he would pardon people who you said were violent, which hurt a lot of Capitol Police officers and others,” Sanchez responded.
“No, no, no. They weren’t violent. They weren’t people harming police officers. They were people who were involved in a riot, I would say,” Meuser said, before Sanchez quickly cut him off.
“He calls them political prisoners!” Sanchez said.
After being asked about it twice, Muether said that in private conversations with Trump, the former president had made a distinction between violent criminals who took part in the riot and nonviolent “intruders,” but that doesn’t line up with comments the former president has made repeatedly in public.
“You’re saying these people deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” Sanchez retorted. “The former president is saying he’s going to pardon the same people who attacked you and your colleagues.”
Mueser then tried to shift the topic of the interview to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, arguing that they have not been sufficiently prosecuted for political reasons.
When President Biden’s name was mentioned, Sanchez interjected again.
“What does this have to do with Joe Biden?” Sanchez asked.
The host then tried to end the interview but criticized Meuser when he tried to mention the 2020 protests again.
“And it doesn’t really answer the question of why Donald Trump is talking about pardoning the very people you described as violent,” Sanchez said.
Trump has called the Jan. 6 rioters “patriots” and “political prisoners” and has pledged to pardon and release them following criminal charges, but this has been widely condemned by both Democrats and Republicans.
Nearly 1,500 people were arrested in connection with the riots. According to the Department of JusticeOf those, more than 500 were charged with assaulting police officers.
