Republican Lawmakers Asked the White House for Pardons Before and After Jan. 6
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We ran the numbers: There are 1,931 news articles covering this topic. 57% (1,103) are left leaning, 35% (674) are center, and 8% (154) are right leaning.
On Thursday, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol held its fifth hearing, highlighting several Republican lawmakers who asked the White House for pardons in the days leading up to and following the attack. While left-leaning articles focus on key testimonies and Trump aides, right-leaning articles focus on the responses of the six GOP leaders who allegedly sought pardons.
A left-leaning article from The Washington Post highlights the testimony identification of five lawmakers who allegedly sought pardons, which suggested their fear of criminal exposure and belief that then-President Trump would protect them from Jan. 6 investigations. The article notes the committee’s focus on Cassidy Hutchinson – a former Trump aide who, despite denial from GOP lawmakers, affirmed conversations about pardon requests – and Jeffery Clark – Trump’s former lawyer investigated for perpetuating Trump’s election fraud conspiracies.
NPR published a centrist article reporting that several Republican lawmakers sought pardons and others – namely, Rep. Mo Brooks and Rep. Matt Gaetz – advocated for blanket pardons on behalf of “every congressman or senator who voted to reject the electoral college vote submissions of Arizona and Pennsylvania.” A White House lawyer testified that the general sentiment of Republican pardon requests was: “We may get prosecuted because we were defensive of the president's position on these things.”
A right-leaning article by The Washington Examiner highlights the responses and defenses of GOP Reps. Mo Brooks (AL) Matt Gaetz (FL), Scott Perry (PA), Louie Gohmert (TX), Andy Biggs (AZ), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA) who were called out for seeking pardons from the Trump administration, according to the Jan. 6 Committee. The article also notes that committee member Representative Adam Kinzinger exposed his colleagues, saying “if you’re innocent, you’re probably not going to go out and seek a pardon.”
From the left
Jan. 6 panel names five Republicans who allegedly sought Trump pardons
The Washington Post
From the right
Jan. 6 committee reveals names of GOP lawmakers who allegedly sought Trump pardons
The Washington Examiner