Former US President Donald Trump has once again expressed his willingness to pardon the perpetrators of the January 6 attacks if he wins the upcoming presidential election in November.
“Of course I would. If they're innocent, I would pardon them. They were convicted by a very harsh system,” Trump said at the National Association of Black Journalists.
The Capitol was stormed by rioters on January 6, 2021 to prevent a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes in favor of Joe Biden and the protesters wanted to keep Trump in power.
The riot left more than 140 police officers injured as they tried to contain the rioters.
Asked about pardoning the rioters, Trump asked what would happen to the people who attacked the Capitol last week, falsely referring to peaceful protests as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress.
However, the police managed to prevent the demonstration from escalating.
“They brutally attacked our government, they fought with the police, they fought with them much more openly than I saw on January 6th,” Trump said.
Rachel Scott from ABC News When Trump asked again whether he would pardon the Jan. 6 rioters if elected, the former president did not answer, instead mentioning the officer who shot and killed a protester.
Ashli Babbitt was a rioter at the events of January 6 and was shot and killed by a black officer when she jumped through a broken window leading to the House Speaker's Lobby as members of Congress fled the mob attempting to enter the House chamber.
Trump added that authorities had come after the January 6 protesters with vengeance.
Trump has been advocating for the 600 rioters convicted for the events of January 6 and in 2023, at a town hall organized by CNN At Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, he said he was “inclined to forgive many of them.”
