Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Wednesday defended President Trump's recent pardons for the rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. ) was criticized.
“I'm speaking here as a Christian, and I saw Speaker Johnson say, 'We believe in salvation,'” Kinzinger said on CNN's “Anderson Cooper 360.” “How can you use the Bible for something like this?”
“So stop talking about repentance, Chairman Johnson, defend this,” Kinzinger later added. “Go out and advocate for the criminals that are on the streets right now. Please do that. I respect you for doing it.”
Kinzinger was the first to speak. Highlighted by Mediaite.
On Trump's first day back in office, nearly all of the defendants on January 6 were pardoned by the president. President Trump said Monday night that about 1,500 rioters had been granted “full, complete and unconditional pardons.” A man who assaulted a police officer during the January 6 riot was among those pardoned this week.
“The president has made decisions, and I'm not going to second-guess them,” Johnson said Wednesday, commenting on the pardon.
“This is kind of my ethos, my worldview. We believe in redemption. We believe in second chances,” the Louisiana Republican continued. “You could argue that those people didn't pay such a heavy penalty because they've been in jail and everything else they've been through. That's up to you. But the president has made a decision. We're going to move forward. There are better days ahead of us.”
The Jan. 6 pardon upset Republican lawmakers who had a front-row seat to the Capitol riots four years ago. In an earlier statement, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) expressed concern that people “convicted of violent crimes” would be pardoned.
“It is wrong to pardon individuals convicted of violent crimes, especially when many of the victims of violence were law enforcement officers,” Moran said.
Moran's views on pardons are shared by many Republican senators, many of whom are hesitant to criticize the president.
“I want everyone who is supporting these pardons, everyone who has been pardoned, and the president himself… [will] It will go down in history as being highly despised,” Kinzinger said. said on wednesday.
The Hill has reached out to Prime Minister Johnson's office and the White House for comment.
