South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, said those facing charges from the January 6 attacks should be considered for pardons on an individual basis, adding that she does not want to see such an attack happen again.
NBC’s Peter Alexander asked Noem on “Meet the Press” whether she thought pardons should be granted to everyone facing charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, to which she replied, “Each situation has to be considered individually.”
“I have been very clear: we never want to see a day like January 6th again. No one in this country wants to see a day like that again,” she said.
“I believe that with Donald Trump back in the White House and in charge of this country, we have a great opportunity to show that people in this country will be safer and that law and order will return to the streets,” she added.
Trump has repeatedly suggested he would pardon those accused of the Jan. 6 attacks if elected to a second term, and in March said one of his first acts as president would be to release “hostages” held in prison for their roles in the Capitol riot.
Alexander repeatedly pressed Noem on whether she agreed with the former president’s idea of pardoning those involved in the attack, and she stressed that pardons are “based on the president’s authority and decisions when reviewing these cases.”
“Each person’s role and what happened in that situation needs to be investigated separately,” she said.
