Dear MoveOn member,
Nine people died in connection to the violent attack on our Capitol. More than 150 were injured. And even more were traumatized.2 And yet, Trump shamefully promised that one of his first acts as president will be to pardon the January 6 rioters who attacked our nation’s Capitol in support of Trump’s lies about the 2020 election results.
More than 1,500 people have been charged with crimes connected to the insurrection—and Trump has pledged to release hundreds of people convicted of attacking the U.S. Capitol.3
Donald Trump does not care about easing the burdens facing everyday Americans—his priority is protecting himself and his MAGA loyalists. This is a dangerous abuse of power—Trump was directly tied to the violent insurrection, and he will do anything he can to avoid accountability. Trump will continue to sow division and stoke hatred, conspiracy theories, and violence in order to advance his own self-serving agenda. We can’t allow him or his extreme MAGA base to be even more emboldened in believing they are above the law.
Sign the petition to show that pardoning insurrectionists is NOT what the American people want!
The details of the January 6 attacks are harrowing. One insurrectionist, Jack Wade Whitton, violently attacked at least three people that day, shouting “You’re gonna die tonight” and afterward bragging in texts about the literal blood on his hands.4 But instead of holding these violent insurrectionists accountable, Donald Trump wants to celebrate and protect them by undermining the rule of law. Enough is enough.
“President Trump has our back just like we had his back on Jan. 6,” said one of the imprisoned rioters.5 If Trump pardons the January 6 insurrectionists, it could incite further violence and instability. And it will send a terrifying message that Trump, and anyone who acts on his behalf, will never have to face the consequences of their actions. We can’t allow that to happen.
In 2023, Representative Steve Cohen introduced an amendment that would limit a presidents’ power to pardon themselves, anyone convicted of an offense in coordination with a president, and more.6 This would be a huge step in stopping presidents from abusing presidential pardons. It’s crucial that Congress take action to stop this dangerous misuse of power from any president!
Trump has already evaded accountability time and time again—from the Supreme Court ruling that he has presidential immunity to nearly all of his criminal cases being dismissed or paused. He is setting a dangerous precedent for the next four years—and it’s clear that he has one agenda: to protect his loyalists and attack anyone who threatens his power.
The American people deserve a president who protects our election system, supports our rights, and works to build a country where we all can thrive—not a president who encourages violence and undermines our democracy.
Sign the petition now, and share with three friends!
Thanks for all you do.
–Alexis, Evelyn, Chris, Amanda R., and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “Trump said he would pardon Jan. 6 rioters. How does that power work?,” NPR, November 13, 2024
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/11/nx-s1-5181960/can-trump-pardon-as-promised-people-convicted-in-connection-with-the-jan-6-attack
2. “These Are the People Who Died in Connection With the Capitol Riot,” The New York Times, October 13, 2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/us/politics/jan-6-capitol-deaths.html
3. “Trump said he would pardon Jan. 6 rioters. How does that power work?,” NPR, November 13, 2024
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/11/nx-s1-5181960/can-trump-pardon-as-promised-people-convicted-in-connection-with-the-jan-6-attack
4. “Man who bragged that he ‘fed’ an officer to the mob of Capitol rioters gets nearly 5 years in prison,” AP News, May 2, 2024
https://apnews.com/article/jack-wade-whitton-capitol-riot-sentence-32ca23ad4b637214ae21f637de17227c
5. “Jan 6. inmates from Georgia await pardon, release from jail: ‘We’re going home, boys!’,” Savannah Morning News, December 31, 2024
https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/12/31/trump-said-hed-pardon-jan-6-rioters-these-georgians-could-go-free/77262174007/
6. “Congressman Cohen Introduces an Amendment to the Constitution to Limit the Presidential Pardon Power,” Congressman Steven Cohen, October 11, 2023
https://cohen.house.gov/pardonpower
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