McConnell Bucks Trump, Says ‘Guilty’ Jan. 6 Rioters Shouldn’t Have Sentences Reduced

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said on Tuesday that individuals who have pleaded guilty to crimes connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack should not have their sentences reduced.

His remarks put him squarely at odds with former President Donald Trump.

At a rally in Texas on Saturday, Trump suggested he may pardon Jan. 6 perpetrators if he becomes president again.

“So many people have been asking me about it,” Trump told the crowd. “If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6th fairly. We will treat them fairly. And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly.”

CNN’s Manu Raju asked McConnell about Trump’s comments at a press conference on Tuesday.

“How concerned are you about the former president offering pardons to people who attacked the Capitol on January 6th?” he asked. “And because of those comments, does he have the moral authority to be president again?”

McConnell, who has said Trump is “practically and morally responsible” for the Capitol attack, responded by saying:

What we saw here on January the sixth was an effort to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another, which had never happened before in our country… My view is, I would not be in favor of shortening any of the sentences for any of the people who pleaded guilty to crimes.”

Despite pinning blame on Trump for the riot, he voted to acquit him of the charge of incitement of insurrection during his second impeachment trial.

Watch above via CNN.