DORAL, Fla. (AP) 鈥� A key ally of President said the White House pardoning rioters who fought with police while in 2021 is 鈥渟ending the wrong signal鈥� and expressed concern about the future ramifications of issuing sweeping clemencies.
鈥淚 have always said that, I think, when you pardon people who attack police officers, you鈥檙e sending the wrong signal to the public at large," Sen. , a South Carolina Republican who is close to Trump, told CNN on Sunday. "It's not what you want to do to protect cops.鈥�
Within hours of taking office last week, Trump issued a covering around 1,500 rioters for their role on the Capitol attack that attempted to block congressional certification of 's 2020 election victory on Jan. 6, 2021.
Among those released from prison was , founder of the far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers, who orchestrated the plot that resulted in the attack. Rhodes was among a large group of supporters who were standing and cheering behind Trump on stage when the president at the Circa resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, before flying to Florida to spend the rest of the weekend at his resort in Doral.
Asked about Rhodes attending the rally, Graham said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 a restriction on him being there." The senator also noted that Biden had used his own string of pardons, including using his final hours in office to issue blanket clemencies for .
鈥淚 don鈥檛 like this. I don鈥檛 like it on either side. And I think the public doesn鈥檛 like it either,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淪o, if this continues, if this is the norm, there may be an effort to rein in the pardon power of the president as an institution.鈥�
He said he saw what occurred with blanket clemencies 鈥渁s a bigger precedent" and that he was 鈥渨orried鈥� about the future consequences.
鈥淚 have said clearly I do not like it when President Trump pardoned people who beat up cops. But I didn鈥檛 like it when Biden pardoned all of his family going out the door,鈥� he said.
The senator made similar comments Sunday on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press,鈥� saying that though Trump 鈥渉ad the legal authority鈥� to issue such pardons, 鈥淚 fear that you will get more violence.鈥�
鈥淧ardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently I think was a mistake,鈥� he said.
Graham isn't the only Trump ally who has struggled with Trump's pardons for the Jan. 6 rioters.
Vice President said , 鈥淥bviously, if you committed violence on that day, you shouldn't be pardoned." But, in an interview on CBS' 鈥淔ace the Nation鈥� that aired on Sunday, Vance said Trump and his team carefully reviewed the individual cases of Capitol rioters and 鈥渕ade the right decision鈥� with the pardons.
Will Weissert, The Associated Press
