'When is enough enough?' Jan. 6 committee member asks Republicans after Trump's pardon pledge


Jan. 6. Committee member Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said former President Donald Trump's pledge to pardon those charged for their role in the Capitol riot "absolutely" constitutes witness tampering and called on Republicans to condemn Trump's actions, CNN reported Wednesday.
Brianna Keilar, who co-anchors CNN's New Day, asked Aguilar if Trump was tampering with witnesses by offering pardons to Jan. 6 defendants.
"Absolutely," Aguilar replied. "And I think the question is more from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, you know where — where are they? Do they support this? When is enough enough?"
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.
"When a mob is chanting, 'Hang Mike Pence,' it wasn't enough," Aguilar went on, according to Politico. "When the former president asked [Georgia Secretary of State] Brad Raffensperger to find him 11,000 votes, it wasn't enough. Now, he's dangling pardons, if he gets back in office, for individuals. Will that be enough? Or will there be more collective amnesia? I just don't know where the floor is these days."
At a Jan. 29 rally in Conroe, Texas, Trump said if he wins a second presidential term he will "treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly" even if "it requires pardons."
Despite Aguilar's comments, several prominent Republicans have said publicly that pardoning Jan. 6 rioters would be the wrong move.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said during a Jan. 30 appearance on CNN's State of the Union that "folks that were part of the riots and, frankly, the assault on the U.S. Capitol have to be held accountable."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she does "not think President Trump should have made that pledge."
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) told CNN that Trump's remarks were "inappropriate" and that pardoning rioters would "reinforce that defiling the Capitol was ok."
In response, Trump said in an interview with Newsmax that Graham "doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."
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.
-
Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foreground
The Explainer The network is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fall
The Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
How to put student loan payments on pause
The Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
Is Kash Patel’s fate sealed after Kirk shooting missteps?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The FBI’s bungled response in the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting has director Kash Patel in the hot seat
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spins
Speed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’
-
Trump renews push to fire Cook before Fed meeting
Speed Read The push to remove Cook has ‘quickly become the defining battle in Trump’s effort to take control of the Fed’
-
Will Donald Trump’s second state visit be a diplomatic disaster?
Today's Big Question Charlie Kirk shooting, Saturday’s far-right rally and continued Jeffrey Epstein fallout ramps-up risks of already fraught trip
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
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