Vice President-elect J.D. Vance appeared to backtrack on President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of a near-blanket pardon for the Jan. 6 rioters in an interview Sunday.
Vance, enter Fox News Sunday, Said the “very simple” process meant pardoning those who protested peacefully, whom he claimed were “treated like gang members” by Attorney General Merrick Garland. But for those convicted of violent crimes, including assaulting Capitol Police officers, “clearly, you should not be pardoned.”
“There’s a little bit of a gray area there, but we’re very committed to seeing equal enforcement of the law, and we believe that a lot of people were unfairly prosecuted after January 6,” Vance said.
Vance’s comments differ from those of Trump, who has promised blanket pardons on “Day One” for anyone involved in many of the rioters. Trump told Meet the media Last month he said he was “most likely” to issue a pardon upon taking office, noting that “there may be some exceptions” and that he would consider individual cases.
“These people have suffered long and hard,” he said.
More than 1,250 people have been convicted or pleaded guilty to charges including trespassing and conspiracy to incite for their roles in the Capitol riot. Several rioters attempted to attack top elected officials, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Some Republican lawmakers have urged Trump to pardon all of the January 6 rioters. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a close Trump ally, told The Associated Press last week that those imprisoned for the attacks — regardless of their crimes — should be released.
“Even those individuals who clashed with Capitol Police and caused damage to the Capitol, I think they’ve served their time, I think they all should be pardoned and released from prison,” Green said.
