Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday denounced President Trump’s decision to pardon persons who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and release others from prison through commutations.
Ms. Murkowski, of Alaska, said Capitol Police officers are “the backbone of Congress.”
“Every day they protect and serve the halls of democracy. I strongly denounce the blanket pardons given to the violent offenders who assaulted these brave men and women in uniform,” Ms. Murkowski wrote on X.
Mr. Trump granted pardons to about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants on Monday, hours after he was sworn into office. Six persons were granted commutations for sentences secured by the Biden Justice Department.
Mr. Trump’s supporters hailed the move, saying the defendants were political “hostages.”
Yet Democrats and some Republicans said they were squeamish about the pardons, given the violent behavior of some of the pardoned persons. Police officers were assaulted, sprayed and crushed during the assault by Trump supporters upset about Congress’s decision to certify President Biden’s 2020 win.
“Anybody who is convicted of assault on a police officer, I can’t get there, at all. I think it was a bad idea,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican.
Some Republicans were not thrilled with Mr. Trump’s pardons, though quick to point to Mr. Biden’s own questionable pardons of his family members. Capitol Hill GOP leaders, meanwhile, said they were eager to move forward.
Ms. Murkowski’s denunciation marked the second time this week she bucked Mr. Trump.
Earlier, she disagreed with Mr. Trump’s decision to restore the name of “Mount McKinley” on Mount Denali in Alaska.
“Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial,” she wrote.
Ms. Murkowski has always had an independent streak. In the past, she voted in support of abortion rights and against an Obamacare repeal bill in 2017.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.