Nobody with a brain thinks the rioters who stormed the Capitol, assaulted police, and threatened to kill government leaders on Jan. 6, 2021, are anything but criminals.
But Trump, who incited these people, said on Thursday, September 1, 2022, he will “very, very seriously” consider pardon them if he becomes president again, and says they’re owed an “apology,” too. (See story here.) This isn’t the first time he’s floated pardons for the Capitol rioters.
But he didn’t pardon a single one before leaving office. He could have, but didn’t. So think about his motives. Trump does nothing for free. He’s raised over $200 million of political cash through his super-PAC, but hasn’t shared a penny of it with Republican candidates, including those he endorsed. Even those endorsements, which cost him nothing, weren’t free. His price? Parrot his election lies.
Why didn’t he pardon the rioters when he had the chance? The most plausible explanation is because there was nothing in it for him.
Suppose Trump does regain the White House. If he does, he may well pardon the rioters, even though he didn’t when he could have spared them prosecution and jail. But Trump being Trump, you can be sure he’ll demand a price.
It won’t be their blind loyalty to him, or their willingness to commit crimes on his behalf, because they’ve already given him that, and he’s not a man who believes in paying for something if he doesn’t have to. So it must be something else. (Bear arms on his behalf? see story here.)
Marlowe had another idea of what that might be. So does the dude in the video below.