At least half a dozen Republican members of Congress have asked for an early pardon from President Donald J. Trump as he struggled to stay in office after his defeat in the 2020 election, witnesses told a House of Representatives committee on Jan. 6, the committee revealed Thursday.
Mr Trump “hinted at a full pardon for something from January 6 for everyone”, testified Johnny McCenty, former head of Trump’s presidential staff.
Representative Matt Goetz, a Florida Republican, appears to have called for a broad pardon, not just his role in Mr Trump’s efforts to reverse the election result. Mr Goetz even referred to pardoned former President Richard M. Nixon when he did so, testified Eric Hershman, Mr Trump’s lawyer at the White House.
“He mentioned Nixon and I said, ‘Nixon’s apology has never been so broad,'” Mr Hershman said.
Alabama’s Mo Brooks sent a preemptive pardon email to all 147 members of Congress who objected to attesting to Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in Electoral College.
A former adviser to Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, testified that Mr. Gaetz, Representative Louis Gohmert of Texas, Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona were interested in pardons.
She also testified that Jim Jim of Ohio spoke about “pardon” but did not ask for a pardon, and that she had heard of Georgia’s newly elected Marjorie Taylor Green, who was also interested in the White House office.
Taken together, the former White House staffers portrayed members of Congress concerned about the potential prosecution as a result of their support for Mr Trump’s attempts to stay in power. And the bills provided an outstanding portrait of the efforts to use the president’s broad powers to pardon for purely political purposes, under penalties for perjury.
In a statement, Mr Perry denied seeking pardon. “I remain behind my statement that I have never sought a pardon from the president for myself or for other members of Congress,” he said. “At no time have I spoken to Miss Hutchinson, the White House’s dispatcher, or to any White House pardon staffer or any other member of Congress – this has never happened.
Ms. Green posted a video of Ms. Hutchinson on Twitter, adding, “Saying ‘heard’ means you don’t know.” The spread of gossip and lies is exactly what the Witch Hunt Committee was doing on January 6th. Mr Homert also denied making such a request and condemned the commission for how it had acted. Similarly, Mr Biggs said Ms Hutchinson had been “wrong” and that her testimony had been edited “fraudulently”.
Mr Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr Brooks confirmed he wanted pardon, but said he did so because he believed the Justice Department would be “abused” by the Biden administration. He released the letter he sent to the White House, saying he was making a written request on Mr. Trump’s instructions.
The fact that there was evidence that pardons were being discussed was considered by the committee at an earlier hearing. Earlier, the group revealed that a key figure in Mr Trump’s efforts to undermine the election results, Conservative lawyer John Eastman, had sent an email to another Trump lawyer, Rudolf W. Giuliani, following the Capitol uprising, asking to be “On a pardon list if it’s still in the works.”
Mr Eastman appeared before the committee and repeatedly referred to his Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination.
It is not clear whether Mr Gaetz’s reported request for full pardon is due to concerns about his attempts to cancel the election or other potential crime. At the time of Mr Gaetz’s request, he had just been investigated by the Ministry of Justice for sexual trafficking in minors. He has not been charged.
The question of who received pardons and what was a source of great concern in the last days of the Trump White House. The House of Representatives selection committee used the pardon information to describe a broader effort to protect people who have complied with Mr. Trump’s wishes.
In recent weeks, Mr Trump has randomly offered pardons to former aides who were annoyed because they weren’t sure what he thought they had done criminally, two former officials said.
Key revelations from the January 6 hearings
Among the concerns Mr. Brooks cited was that he and other Republicans would be targeted by the new Department of Justice, as he sought pardon for those who objected to the certification, as well as for supporters of a lawsuit filed by Mr. Homert for pressure on Vice President Mike Pence to reject Mr Biden’s victory on 6 January.
The White House Office and Mr. Hershman argued strongly against the pardons of members of Congress, and Mr. Trump did not grant them.
With only hours left in office, Mr Trump issued a pardon to Stephen K. Bannon, his former White House adviser, deleting federal allegations that accused Mr Bannon of deceiving political donors who supported the construction of a border wall. which Mr. Trump insisted on.
In the weeks leading up to the pardon, Mr Bannon took an active part in trying to keep Mr Trump in office by promoting his allegations of fraud. He also helped devise a plan – later known as the Green Bay Sweep – to persuade members of Congress to block the normal counting of electoral college votes by repeatedly challenging the results in various swing states.
Mr Trump also pardoned his allies, who were under investigation to see if his campaign conspired with Russian officials in 2016. Some of them were supporters who also supported and stepped up his efforts to stay in power.
One was Michael T. Flynn, a former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the FBI about his relationship with a Russian diplomat. The case was later dropped due to concerns about procedural issues.
In the weeks following his Thanksgiving pardon in 2020, Mr Flynn appeared at so-called Stop the Steal rallies, speaking in support of Mr Trump’s baseless allegations that the election had been stolen. Working with others such as CEO Patrick Byrne and pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell, Mr. Flynn also encouraged efforts to persuade Mr. Trump to use his national security apparatus to confiscate nationwide voting machines in an attempt. possibly repeat parts of the election.
In late December 2020, Mr. Trump pardoned Roger Jay Stone Jr., a longtime ally and informal adviser who was investigated in connection with Russia’s investigation and maintained his innocence. The move came five months after Mr Trump overturned Mr Stone’s 40-month sentence stemming from his conviction on charges of obstructing Congress’ investigation into Mr Trump’s 2016 campaign and possible links to Russia. .
Like Mr. Flynn, Mr. Stone used social media and Stop the Steal rallies to reinforce and support Mr. Trump’s false allegations about the election. Mr Stone categorically denied having any personal role in inciting violence that day.
Luke Broadwater contributed to the report.
Add Comment