Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) Wednesday criticized Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for defending President Trump’s pardons for rioters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“I’m speaking as a Christian. I saw Chairman Johnson say, ‘We believe in salvation,'” Kinzinger said on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.” “How dare you use the Bible for something like this?”
“I mean, don’t talk about repentance, Chairman Johnson, stand for this,” Kinzinger later added. “Go out and defend that there are criminals on the streets right now. Please do so. If you do that, I will respect you.”
Kinzinger’s remarks were first highlighted by Mediaite.
On January 6, President Trump’s first day in office, almost all of the defendants received pardons from the president. President Trump said Monday night that about 1,500 rioters had received a “full, complete and unconditional pardon.” Among those receiving pardons this week were those who assaulted police during the Jan. 6 riots.
“The president has made a decision. I’m not second-guessing it,” Johnson said Wednesday about the pardon.
“This is kind of my mentality and worldview. We believe in salvation. We believe in second chances.” The Louisiana Republican continued. “You could argue that because they were incarcerated and did all that, they didn’t get punished that harshly. It’s up to you. But the president made a decision. We move forward. There are better days ahead of us.”
The Jan. 6 pardon rattled Republican lawmakers who had a front-row seat to the chaos at the Capitol four years ago. In a previous statement, Sen. Jerry Moran (R) expressed misgivings about pardons being granted to “people convicted of violent crimes.”
“It is wrong to pardon individuals convicted of violent crimes. This is especially true when many of the victims of violence are law enforcement officers,” Moran said.
Many of his fellow Republican senators share Moran’s views on pardons, but many of them are hesitant to criticize the president.
“I am 100 percent confident that everyone who supports this pardon, everyone who has been pardoned, and the president himself will be very, very scorned by history,” Kinzinger said Wednesday.
The Hill has reached out to Johnson’s office and the White House for comment.
