On the first day since his presidential campaign was officially announced, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hinted that he might pardon former President Donald Trump or the Jan. 6 rioters — and vowed to review convictions of an “armed” Justice Department .
He made the statement during a radio appearance on Clay Travis and Buck Sexton’s show “Clay and Buck” — after being asked specifically if he thought the January 6 defendants “deserve that their Cases to be reviewed by a Republican President.”
He was also asked specifically whether former President Trump – the main rival who has ridiculed him since his gaffe-filled announcement – “will be charged with federal crimes” and whether he “based on the evidence might consider pardoning Trump himself.” would”. turn up.
Rather than rule out any of the possibilities, DeSantis, who is more than 30 points behind Trump in a new Fox News poll, spoke of an “armed” FBI.
Hours after former President Donald Trump poked fun at Ron DeSantis by saying, “My Red Button is bigger, better, stronger, and working” and yours “doesn’t,” the Florida governor said he would consider using him and to pardon the January 6 defendants on ‘Day One’
“The DOJ and the FBI have been weaponized.” We see that. “We see it in several contexts, some of which you mentioned,” he replied.
He said he would review individuals “on a case-by-case basis” but promised to also look into people who had been “treated unfavorably”.
DeSantis made the pledge just hours after Trump called him “disloyal,” mocked his campaign launch as “DISASTER!”, called him “Rob” instead of “Ron,” and taunted him by saying, “My red button is bigger, better, stronger and works (TRUTH!), yours doesn’t!’
DeSantis, a lawyer who studied law at Harvard and served in the Navy’s JAG Corps at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, answered the question on a day when far-right Oath Keepers militant leader Stewart Rhodes was pregnant with an 18-year-old was sentenced to prison after being convicted of seditious conspiracy. The sentence fell during their conversation.
DeSantis said it was unfair how the government chose those to prosecute. He said he will start his review on day one.
Former President Donald Trump called DeSantis “disloyal” and dubbed him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” The Florida governor has hinted that he could pardon Trump if he faces “political” federal charges
“Part of that is because the FBI is chasing the parents and going to the school board meeting.” Part of it is how they treat a pro-life protester and how they don’t target people who attack pro-life protesters . So what I’m going to do is — that’s what I’m going to do on day one — I’m going to have people who come together and look at all these cases, these are people who are victims of guns or political attack, and we’re going to be aggressive when it’s about issuing pardons. “In some of these cases, it may be a technical violation of the law for some people.”
He lamented the unequal application of justice, claiming that Black Lives Matter people “are not prosecuted at all.”
“And so we’re going to find ways where that didn’t happen.” And then we’re going to use the power of pardon — and I’m going to do that on the front lines. You know, a lot of people wait until the end of government to pardon them. We will find examples where government has been used as a weapon against disadvantaged groups and take countermeasures where necessary. But it’s decided on a case-by-case basis, because I think you have to make sure that… There are quite a few cases that don’t necessarily make the headlines. But when people are treated just because they’re not on TV or something, they’re treated badly. They also need a fair hearing.”
Clay Travis confirmed that a concrete pardon for Trump is on the table.
“And that could range from a grandma being arrested and prosecuted to possibly even Trump himself.” Is that fair to say when analyzing what charges might have been filed at the federal level? he said.
DeSantis replied, “I would say that any example of political or weapon discrimination, no matter how small or large, would be included in this review.”
Presidents who exercised the virtually unlimited power of pardons towards the end of their term include Bill Clinton and Trump, who in the final weeks of his presidency pardoned his allies Roger Stone, Steve Bannon and former RNC finance chairman Elliott Broidy, although he himself resisted pressure to grant a blanket pardon on January 6 before indictment.
Although hypothetical, the question of a Trump pardon could plague a future president.
He faces possible indictment in connection with Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 investigation and removal of White House documents, including classified material post-Mar-a-Lago, as well as a possible criminal indictment in Georgia in connection with his attempt to to overthrow the election.
Every case is different, but Trump did not fare well in a recent case in New York, where he was found guilty of sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll decades ago.
No federal charges have been filed and Trump denies wrongdoing in what he calls a “witch hunt.”