A new poll of registered voters indicates that most of them reject the idea of pardoning the rioters who broke into the U.S. Capitol last year in protest of President Biden’s victory.
Among registered voters in a poll conducted by Morning Consult and Politico, 20% said then-President Donald Trump should have pardoned the rioters in the Capitol before leaving office.
Another 51% said Mr. Trump should “definitely not” have pardoned the rioters, and 17% said he should “probably not” have pardoned them.
Mr. Trump told a rally in Conroe, Texas, last month that if he is reelected, he would treat the rioters “fairly … and if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly.”
According to media reports, Mr. Trump weighed pardons for the rioters before he left office but ultimately did not follow through.
More than 750 people have been charged with crimes related to participating in the riot or trespassing at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to the Justice Department, the charges include assaulting police, disorderly conduct, bringing weapons into the building and theft of government property.
Critics of the prosecution say many of those charged in the case have been mistreated in jail and excessively punished for their crimes, especially in comparison to social justice rioters who participated in the destruction and violence in U.S. cities during the summer of 2020.
The Jan. 6 rioters stormed the Capitol, pushing past police and breaking through barriers, doors and windows to gain access to the building. Others streamed in through doors propped open by the U.S. Capitol Police, who stood by.
Congress was in session that day certifying Mr. Biden’s victory, and lawmakers were forced to flee for safety as angry rioters pushed their way through the building. Hundreds of other protesters streamed through waving signs and banners and taking selfies before leaving.
It took hours for police and the National Guard to regain control of the building.
The protesters had attended a rally featuring Mr. Trump a few blocks away at the Ellipse before the riot. They made their way to the Capitol after the president told them to march “peacefully and patriotically” to protest Mr. Biden’s victory to lawmakers.
Mr. Trump continues to make the case that election irregularities rigged Mr. Biden’s victory.