Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons split the GOP: From the Politics Desk

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In today’s edition, we break down how members of his party are reacting to his sweeping pardons of the January 6 defendants. Plus, Steve Kornacki takes a historical look at the position JD Vance now finds himself in: vice president to a president who can’t run for another term.

—Adam Wollner

Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons divide GOP

Of all the executive orders President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office, the one that resonated most throughout Washington was his decision to pardon the January 6 rioters.

At the stroke of a pen, Trump granted pardons to approximately 1,500 criminal defendants and commuted the sentences of 14 others in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. He also ordered the dismissal of hundreds of cases that were still pending.

As Scott Wong, Frank Thorp V, Kate Santaliz, and Katie Taylor report, the January 6 pardons drew pushback from a handful of Republican senators. They quickly found themselves back where they used to be a few years ago: responding to Trump’s latest action or comment.

Reactions were generally divided into four camps.

There those who openly criticized the pardons of January 6particularly for people who were convicted of committing acts of violence against police officers. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she was “disappointed” by Trump’s move and concerned about the message it sent to the officers who defended the Capitol that day.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he “simply cannot agree” with Trump’s pardons.

There were those who did not openly criticize Trump but refused to support the decision.. “The president made that decision. You’ll have to ask him. I will not defend him,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said that if he were president he would not have offered pardons to people who committed violence on Jan. 6, but he added that Trump kept his campaign promise.

There were those who left the questions aside. and attempted to focus attention on Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his family in his final minutes as president.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he is “looking forward to the next four years, not the last four,” when pressed about Trump’s decision.

“Would you ask Biden the same questions?” Thune said when asked what message he sends to the officers who were attacked that day.

And then there were those who celebrated the pardons. Some members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, such as Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, went to a Washington jail where inmates were being released on Jan. 6.

What Trump is saying: He defended the Jan. 6 pardons during a press conference Tuesday, Katherine Doyle reports.

“They’ve served years in prison,” Trump said in response to questions from reporters at the White House about why he pardoned violent criminals. “They should not have served time and have served years in prison. And murderers don’t even go to jail in this country.”

What current and former prosecutors say: People at the Justice Department and legal experts call the move a dangerous and unprecedented use of the pardon power that dealt a crushing blow not only to federal law enforcement but to the American justice system, as Ken Dilanian and Ryan report. J. Reilly.

“I don’t think that’s right,” Jason Manning, who spent years as a line prosecutor working on the Jan. 6 cases in Washington, told NBC News in an exclusive interview. “The pardons seem atrocious to me.”

What you need to know about the second day of Trump’s presidency

Beyond the consequences of the January 6 pardons, the second day of Trump’s term once again brought an avalanche of news. Here are the main lines:

• Trump announced a joint venture with OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank to invest billions of dollars in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States.
• Trump met with Republican congressmen at the White House, where they discussed his legislative strategy and the possibility of using recess appointments to confirm Cabinet nominees.
• Democratic attorneys general filed lawsuits seeking to block Trump’s attempt to revoke the right to automatic birthright citizenship. It is one of several executive actions that will likely face rejection by the courts.
• The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will rescind restrictions that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests in “sensitive locations,” such as schools, churches or daycare centers, even during weddings or funerals, as NBC News reported the new administration. had planned.
• The Trump administration fired four top officials at the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees U.S. immigration courts.
• The bishop who led the inaugural prayer service Tuesday urged Trump to “have mercy” on his constituents, specifically naming LGBTQ people and immigrants.

Vance takes on unique role as second-term vice president

When he was sworn in Monday, JD Vance instantly assumed a unique position on the political stage: as vice president to a term-limited president.

Instead of waiting eight years (and spending the next four promoting his boss’s re-election efforts), Vance takes office with the 2028 Republican presidential nomination wide open. It is a position six previous vice presidents have enjoyed since the enactment of the 22nd Amendment, which limited presidential service to two terms.

All but one of those six harbored their own presidential ambitions, although only three managed to actually secure their party’s next nomination; and only one, George HW Bush, won the presidency in 1988.