‘I Agree With the Vice President’: Mitch McConnell Tweaks Trump Over Jan. 6 Pardons by Citing JD Vance’s Recent Comments

Sarah RumpfJan 21st, 2025, 2:43 pm
 
Mitch McConnell Compares Supreme Court Justice Reforms to Jan 6

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

Over the course of President Donald Trump’s time in politics, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has at different times been a sharp critic and a compliant ally. On Tuesday, he was once again in the former category, issuing a pointed condemnation of Trump’s sweeping pardons of the January 6 rioters.

Within hours of taking the oath of office, Trump had signed off on pardoning approximately 1,500 people, commuting the sentences of eight more, and directing the Department of Justice to dismiss with prejudice (meaning the cases cannot legally be re-filed) any remaining indictments for the rioters. Those to be set free by Trump’s actions include those convicted of violently assaulting police officers, and the ringleaders of the attack on the Capitol who were convicted of seditious conspiracy, such as far-right leaders like Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers.

Multiple Republican elected officials have come out and criticized pardons being given to those who committed acts of violence against law enforcement officers, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who called it a “bad idea,” and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who said she hadn’t yet reviewed the pardons but disagreed with pardons being given to those who “assaulted police officers” or “damaged property, who rummaged through desks, who broke windows in the Capitol.”

Semafor congressional bureau chief Burgess Everett caught up with McConnell Tuesday to get the former GOP Senate Leader’s take.

The Kentuckian cited comments Vice President JD Vance made on Fox News Sunday earlier this month to articulate his position. When questioned about the possibility of pardons for the January 6 rioters, Vance described the issue as a “very simple” question, arguing that those who “protested peacefully” deserved a pardon, but “if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.”

“Well, I think I agree with the vice president,” McConnell said to Everett. “No one should excuse violence. And particularly violence against police officers.”

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.