Pardon January 6 rioters

Trump says he will pardon January 6 rioters, makes false comparisons to BLM protests

From CNN's Kaanita Iyer

Former President Donald Trump said if elected, he would “absolutely” pardon rioters who assaulted police officers during the January 6, 2021, US Capitol insurrection.

“If they’re innocent, I would pardon them,” Trump said during a question-and-answer session at the National Association of Black Journalists convention.

When pointed out by moderator Rachel Scott of ABC that many rioters have been convicted, Trump said they were “convicted by a very, very tough system.”

Nearly 875 people have pleaded guilty to federal charges related to January 6, including roughly 275 to felonies, according to the Justice Department. More than 200 people were convicted at a trial.

Trump then attempted to compare the insurrection with the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, falsely claiming those protesters did not face consequences and dramatically exaggerating the incidents in various cities.

“How come the people that tried to burn down Minneapolis, how come the people that took over a large percentage of Seattle, how come nothing happened to them,” Trump asked.

CNN previously reported that Black Lives Matters protesters were in fact targeted by federal government with stiffer punishments, according to report by coalition of Black advocacy groups.