General Discussion

Hours before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, someone placed pipe bombs outside Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C. In the nearly five years that followed, an investigation failed to identify a suspect.....

What about Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons?

At a press conference at the Justice Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked about the obvious tension between Cole’s arrest and the president’s decision to pardon every other person convicted for crimes on Jan. 6, including felons, many of whom violently clashed with police officers.

Bondi dodged the question.

The line of inquiry, however, is entirely legitimate. Trump, just hours into his second term, came to the assistance of Jan. 6 criminals, insisting at the time that it would be a “grave national injustice” to hold them accountable.

When NBC News posed the question to the White House, spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded with this statement:

It’s alarming and insulting that Fake News NBC would compare an individual who placed live bombs throughout DC to the countless individuals who were over-prosecuted and targeted by a weaponized Biden DOJ. This false equivalence is one of the many reasons why trust in the media is at an all-time low.

Let’s unpack this a bit.

First, NBC News isn’t “fake.” Second, Jan. 6 felons were, if anything, under-prosecuted. Third, if Republicans have any evidence of the Biden-era Justice Department having been “weaponized,” the party has kept its proof well hidden.

Fourth, if placing “live bombs” is qualitatively different from other Jan. 6 crimes, why did the Trump administration dismiss charges against Daniel Ball — who set off an explosive device in a Capitol tunnel during a fierce battle between pro-Trump rioters and law enforcement officers?

This whole disingenuous mess is among the many reasons why trust in Trump and his team is at an all-time low.....

Fourth, if placing “live bombs” is qualitatively different from other Jan. 6 crimes, why did the Trump administration dismiss charges against Daniel Ball — who set off an explosive device in a Capitol tunnel during a fierce battle between pro-Trump rioters and law enforcement officers?

This whole disingenuous mess is among the many reasons why trust in Trump and his team is at an all-time low.