US vice president-elect JD Vance said Sunday that those responsible for the violence during the Capitol riots “obviously” should not be forgiven.
President-elect Donald Trump promises to use his power of mercy on behalf of many of those who tried on January 6, 2021, to reverse the results of the election that Trump lost.
In an interview ahead Fox News Sunday, Vance said the forgiveness issue is “very simple,” saying that those who “peacefully protested” should be forgiven and “if you committed violence that day, of course you shouldn't be forgiven.” give you ” He later said there was “a bit of a gray area” in some cases.
Trump said he would pardon rioters on “Day 1” of his presidency, which begins on January 20. “Most likely, I will do it very soon,” said recently on NBC's Meet the Media.
“These people have been suffering long and hard. And maybe there are some exceptions,” he said. “I'll have to look. But, you know, if someone was radical, crazy.”
On January 6, 2021, a CBC News crew working near Capitol Hill was attacked by an angry mob of Donald Trump supporters. Almost four years later, reporter Katie Nicholson tracked down one of the people around her that day to find out what she thought going into another volatile US presidential election.
More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes as a result of the siege that left more than 100 police officers injured and sent lawmakers into hiding as they met to confirm the 2020 victory at the Democrat Joe Biden.
Hundreds of people who were not involved in destruction or violence were only charged with misdemeanors for illegally entering the Capitol. Others were charged with criminal offences, including assault for beating police officers. The leaders of two extremist groups, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, were convicted of conspiracy to defraud for what prosecutors said were plans to use violence to stop a peaceful transition of power from Trump to Biden.
In a post on X, Vance responded to criticism from supporters of the Capitol rioters that it was not set long enough to free all those convicted. “I have been protecting these people for years,” he said.
“The president is not saying he's going to look at every case (and I'm saying the same thing) to walk back,” Vance said. “I assure you we care about people who are wrongly incarcerated. fair Yes, that includes people who are motivated and it includes people who have tested positive.”
