policy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President-elect JD Vance says those answerable for violence throughout the Capitol riot “obviously” shouldn’t be pardoned, as President-elect Donald Trump vows to make use of his clemency powers on behalf of lots of those trying have on January 6, 2021 to overturn the outcomes of the election, which Trump lost.

Vance insisted in an interview on “Fox News Sunday” that the pardon issue was “very simple,” saying those that “protested peacefully” ought to be pardoned and “if you committed violence that day, of course you should.” not be pardoned.” He later said there was a “bit of a gray area” in some cases.

Trump said he would pardon rioters on “day one” of his presidency, which begins Jan. 20. “Most likely I will do it very quickly,” he said recently on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He added: “These people have suffered long and hard. And there may be some exceptions. I have to look. But you know, if someone was radical, they would be crazy.”

More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes in reference to the siege, which injured greater than 100 law enforcement officials and compelled lawmakers into hiding as they met to certify Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 victory.

Hundreds of people that didn’t take part in destruction or violence were charged only with misdemeanor charges of illegally entering the Capitol. Others were charged with crimes including assault for beating law enforcement officials. Leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys extremist groups were convicted of seditious conspiracy after prosecutors tried to make use of force to stop the peaceful transfer of power from Republican incumbent Trump to Biden.

In a post on X, Vance responded to criticism from supporters of the Capitol rioters that his position didn’t go far enough to release all those convicted. “I’ve been defending these guys for years,” he said.

“For the president to say he will look at every single case (and for me to say the same thing) is not a step backwards,” Vance said. “I assure you, we care about people who are unjustly incarcerated. Yes, that includes those who were provoked, and that includes those who received a trash trial.”

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President Joe Biden had long said he wouldn’t pardon his son Hunter Biden, who faced sentencing this month on gun and tax violations. But on Sunday, the president modified his tune and granted his son a full pardon.

The pardon not only covers Hunter Biden's convictions in two federal cases – one in Delaware and one in California – but in addition covers any potential “offenses against the United States” he committed between January 1, 2014 and January 1, 2014 or by which he was involved December 1, 2024.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the president has the authority to grant clemency, including pardons and commutations. A pardon completely forgives federal crimes, while a commutation reduces the severity of a sentence but doesn’t absolve the crime. However, this authority is proscribed to federal crimes. A president cannot issue pardons for state crimes or for impeachment convictions.

Hunter Biden's legal troubles began with a conviction in June for making a false statement on a federal form when purchasing a firearm in 2018, claiming he was not a drug user on the time. He later pleaded guilty to evading over $1.4 million in taxes. Both cases occurred as he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction before getting sober in 2019.

Hunter was scheduled to be sentenced this month in California and Delaware by judges appointed by President Trump. The tax charge carried a maximum sentence of 17 years, while the firearms charge could have resulted in a jail sentence of as much as 25 years. However, federal sentencing guidelines suggest that any prison sentence would likely be much shorter, and Biden can have been in a position to avoid prison time altogether.

Hunter Biden has been under investigation by the federal government since 2020. He initially reached a take care of prosecutors and pleaded guilty to tax crimes to avoid prosecution for weapons offenses if he stayed clean for 2 years. However, this deal collapsed in the course of the hearing. Hunter Biden was subsequently charged in each cases and he argued that he was targeted due to his family connections.

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