Maggie Haberman Says Trump ‘Sees Political Advantage’ In Floating Pardons For Jan. 6 Defendants

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said Donald Trump regards it as politically advantageous to suggest he will pardon Capitol riot defendants if he becomes president again.

The former president has repeatedly floated the idea.

“I mean full pardons with an apology to many,” he said in a typical instance last year.

On Tuesday, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Hours later on CNN’s The Source, host Kaitlan Collins asked Haberman about the possibility of Trump pardoning Tarrio and others.

“Trump has said he would leave open the door to pardoning a lot of the people who were convicted that day,” Collins said. “Does the fact that domestic terror is now a part of this change that calculus, do you think?”

Haberman responded:

I don’t think it’s going to stop Trump from saying what he has been saying. He’s been fundraising to try to help some of the defendants in January 6th-related cases. I don’t think that this will have him adjust anything. I’m sure his lawyers would like it if he would adjust some of what he’s saying and doing. But I don’t think for what he is saying himself – he sees political advantage in continuing to say that he might pardon people. He thinks that it rallies his supporters.

If Trump becomes president again and is willing to follow through on the pardons, he will have a lot of defendants to choose from. More than 1,000 people have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot.

Watch above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!