Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Thursday he would prioritize pardoning “victims” of “political targeting,” potentially including the defendants involved with the January 6 attacks on the capitol, a move that could alter sentences like the 18 years handed to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes Thursday.
DeSantis said he would consider pardoning those charged in the Jan. 6 attacks.
Speaking on the podcast Clay & Buck’s the day after he announced his presidential bid, DeSantis said the FBI and Department of Justice have been “weaponized” to target certain political groups, after he was asked if he would consider pardoning the January 6 defendants and former president Donald Trump.
From the start of his presidency, he would be “aggressive about issuing pardons” to groups he believes have been politically targeted, such as pro-life demonstrators, he said.
While some cases may have a true violation of the law, DeSantis said he believes there is an “uneven application of justice” in many incidents—he used the example of a Black Lives Matter protester not getting prosecuted the same as someone involved in January 6.
Donald Trump, who’s running against DeSantis in the Republican primary, has said he would pardon the January 6 rioters if elected. In January 2022, Trump said of the rioters, "We will treat them fairly. And if it requires pardons we will give them pardons.” He also said in September 2022 he would issue “full pardons with an apology to many” to those charged. Vivek Ramaswamy, another Republican competitor, tweeted in April he would pardon “all federal defendants prosecuted on political motives,” including the January 6 defendants. He has also pledged to pardon Trump for his 34 felony charges on his first day in office.
On Thursday, Stewart Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy leading to the attacks on the U.S. Capitol, which was intended to stop Joe Biden from taking his seat as president. Rhodes’ is the longest sentence a Capitol rioter has received yet. More than 1,000 people have been charged for involvement in the riots, according to NPR, with sentences ranging from a few months to 10 years, mostly for assaulting police officers.
1,000 people have been charged for the Capitol riot. Here's where their cases stand (NPR)
Trump vows pardons, government apology to Capitol rioters if elected (Washington Post)