House Democrat Calls for Trump to Respond to Charlie Kirk Shooting By ‘Rescinding’ Jan. 6 Pardons
A House Democrat is calling on President Donald Trump to respond to the killing of Charlie Kirk by “rescinding” pardons he issued in connection with Jan. 6.
Speaking with Kate Bolduan on CNN News Central Thursday, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) blasted Trump’s response to the killing of the conservative activist — accusing him of trying to “call out extremist left-wing groups [and] blame this on Democrats.” The Massachusetts congressman argued that Trump can show he’s “serious about stopping political violence” by “rescinding” the Jan. 6 pardons.
“If the president is serious about stopping political violence, then maybe he should start by rescinding the pardons for all the domestic terrorists who came to the Capitol on January 6 to kill cops, to kill Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi, to skill to kill Vice President [Mike] Pence,” Moulton said. “Let’s have an honest conversation about the origins of this political violence and why it has risen so dramatically since Donald Trump’s first term. We need to have that conversation if we’re serious about stopping it.”
The action Moulton is proposing does not seem to be possible, legally speaking. An 1869 federal court ruling made clear, “the law undoubtedly is, that when a pardon is complete, there is no power to revoke it, any more than there is power to revoke any other completed act.”
Bolduan went on to ask whether both sides can come together in the wake of the attack on Charlie Kirk.
“Do you think it can be achieved, bringing down the temperature … being less hateful and angry — between Democrats, Republicans, and Donald Trump,” Bolduan said. “Do you think it can be achieved?”
Here was Moulton’s response:
“Only if we all look ourselves in the mirror. And I’m happy to stand here as a Democrat and absolutely condemn the violence on the left. I have no hesitation in doing so.
“But people like [Rep.] Warren Davidson [R-OH] and Donald Trump need to condemn the violence on the right as well. Not defend the attackers on January 6th, not lower the flag across the nation for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, but refuse, refuse to lower the flag when a Minnesota lawmaker was murdered in her home. Refused to go to the funeral, refused to acknowledge it.
There are people who are trying to polarize us further, divide our nation further, and just blame the left — even while those of us on the Democratic side are by-and-large saying, ‘we all need to turn down the rhetoric.’ So let’s be serious about where this violence is coming from.”
Watch above, via CNN.
