The prosecution of some protesters who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was obsessive and political. Some pardons of nonviolent offenders were justified and, indeed, were needed to undo the damage their hounding has done to the First Amendment.
However, President Donald Trump went much too far in issuing a blanket pardon to almost every person convicted of offenses committed at the Capitol. His clemency for violent offenders, especially those who attacked law enforcement officers, is shameful, weakens the rule of law, and encourages more violence at political events.
Combined with the shameful pardons issued by former President Joe Biden for his family members just minutes before he ceased to be president, Trump’s clemency makes the case for reining in presidential clemency powers.
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