GOP governor says Trump shouldn't pardon Jan. 6 rioters if he wins a 2nd term

Former President Donald Trump should not pardon people charged for their participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot if he wins a second term, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said in a Sunday appearance on CNN's State of the Union.
"Look, folks that were part of the riots and, frankly, the assault on the U.S. Capitol have to be held accountable," Sununu said.
"There's a rule of law," he continued. "I don't care whether you were part of burning cities in antifa in 2020 [or] you were storming the Capitol in 2021. Everybody needs to be held fairly accountable. … That's part of leadership."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Then they shouldn't be pardoned?" host Dana Bash asked.
"Of course not!" Sununu responded. "Oh my goodness, no."
During a rally in Texas on Saturday, Trump said that if he wins a second term, he plans to pardon those charged for their actions during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. "If I run, and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly," Trump said. "And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons, because they are being treated so unfairly," he added.
Trump called the prosecutors who have charged more than 700 rioters with crimes "horrible people," "racists," and "mentally sick."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Journalist Matthew Yglesias tweeted in response to Trump's comments that "the fact that *all* crimes committed in the District of Columbia are federal crimes eligible for presidential pardon creates a terrifyingly vast loophole in the constitutional system."
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killing
TALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keep showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge
Speed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race