Trump raises pardons for Jan. 6 rioters if reelected

Former President Trump said during a rally in Texas on Saturday that he would consider pardoning those charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, saying he would treat them “fairly” if he were reelected.

At Saturday’s rally in Conroe, Texas, Trump said, “If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly.”

“And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons,” he continued. “They are being treated so unfairly.”

The Jan. 6 insurrection saw thousands of Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election, which the former president and his allies have falsely claimed was rigged.

According to an update made by the Department of Justice at the end of December, by that time, more than 725 people had been arrested in connection with the attack, with 165 people pleading guilty to various federal charges and at least 70 receiving sentences or having their cases adjudicated.

Trump has so far declined to say outright whether he will run for president in 2024.