Just an hour into his inauguration, Donald Trump denounced Joe Biden for pardoning Republican officials who investigated the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots and promised retaliation in the form of bailouts.
Trump said in his speech: “I was going to talk about the J6 hostages, but you will be happy because you know, it is actions, not words, that matter, and you will see a lot of actions against the J6 hostages.” Published after taking office A rambling speech expressing his lingering dissatisfaction with the 2020 election results.
“I’m going to talk about what Joe did today, pardoning people who committed very serious crimes, like the unelected committee of politicians,” he added, referring to the Jan. 6 bipartisan panel.
Biden’s pardon also applies to former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, who famously called Trump a “total fascist.”
“Why are we doing this? Why are we helping people like Milley?” Trump said at the Capitol on Monday.
But Liz Cheney’s pardon appears to have angered the new president even more, as he returns to the White House after a four-year hiatus following his loss to Biden in 2020.
“Why should we help Liz Cheney?” he asked. “I mean, Liz Cheney is a disaster. She’s a crying lunatic who cries and cries.
He also called former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, who ran with Cheney for his party’s presidential bid on Jan. 6, a “super criminal.”
Shortly before the peaceful transfer of power to Trump, Biden said, “These public servants have served our country with honor and distinction and should not be the targets of unjust and politically motivated prosecutions.”
But Republicans said a pardon would represent an admission of guilt and an investigation into corruption.
“Prove they knew she was guilty,” Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) told The Daily Beast, referring to Cheney. One of those who forgive.
The preemptive pardons are intended to protect Trump’s enemies from potential future prosecutions and cannot be undone by the new administration. But Trump allies have repeatedly targeted investigations led by Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Cheney.
“Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons of sham committee members on January 6 will forever seal the negative legacy of the Biden administration, which includes corruption, pay-to-play schemes, and an overall betrayal of our ‘American Principles,'” Public Assemblyman Ralph Norman (R-SC) told The Daily Beast.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who is leading the Republican counterinvestigation into the Jan. 6 committee, called Monday morning’s pardons “a direct result of our investigation.”
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) agreed, drawing attention to what he called “illegal, deceptive and corrupt” behavior by pardonees.
Shortly after Biden issued the pardon, Trump Sending text messages NBC’s Kristen Welker: “This is disgraceful. A lot of people committed major crimes! DJT.
Committee members pushed back against Republicans’ accusations, claiming they face the threat of jail time in addition to “harassment, lies and threats of criminal violence for simply doing our jobs.”
“We were pardoned today not for breaking the law, but for upholding the law,” they said in a joint statement. They believed the pardon was necessary to prevent a “false prosecution” of their work and expose what they called “a false prosecution.” The crime lasted for several months.” Efforts to overturn the will of voters. “
In addition to pardoning Milley and members and staff of the Jan. 6 special committee, Biden also pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
