Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump are calling for pardons for individuals convicted in connection with the violent January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, citing President Joe Biden’s recent decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
Newsweek reported that Biden’s decision on Sunday reversed his earlier public pledge not to intervene and spared Hunter from a potential prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions.
“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said in a statement released on Sunday evening. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.
“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Trump supporters have taken to social media, urging him to use his presidential powers to pardon individuals convicted of federal crimes related to the Capitol riot once he returns to the White House in January. These convictions range from misdemeanor offenses, such as trespassing, to felonies, including assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy.
“Trump should pardon every single January 6th defendant on his first day in office. All of them,” Clay Travis wrote on the X platform.