Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) hinted Thursday night that if he wins the presidency, he wouldn’t rule out pardoning those arrested for the deadly January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
During an evening interview on the conservative cable outlet Newsmax, the newly announced GOP candidate said amid the topic of January 6, “On day one, I will have folks that will get together and look at all these cases, who people are victims of weaponization or political targeting and we will be aggressive at issuing pardons.”
DeSantis’ words are in line with those of former President Trump, who is also running in the 2024 presidential race.
During a CNN town hall earlier this month, Trump said if he wins reelection, he would be “inclined to pardon” a “large portion” of the people convicted of federal offenses for participating in the violent attempt to prevent Congress from performing its Constitutional duty on January 6 to certify President Biden’s electoral college victory over then-President Trump.
“And it’ll be very early on,” Trump added during the town hall.
When asked on Newsmax whether January 6 pardons could potentially include “Trump himself,” DeSantis replied, “I would say any example of disfavored treatment based on politics or weaponization would be included in that review, no matter how small or how big.”
According to the Justice Department, as of this month, more than 1,033 suspects have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia related to the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. A reported more than 500 of them have been sentenced, with more than half receiving prison terms ranging from a week to over 14 years.
Four people died during the insurrection, and five police officers died of various causes following the attack.
