Topline
At least six Republican lawmakers asked the White House for pardons after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to testimony former White House officials gave to the January 6 committee, with many suggesting a blanket pardon for anyone involved with the attack.
(L-R) Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) attend a campaign rally on … [+] April 30, 2022 in Newark, Ohio. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) all personally asked for pardons, according to Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Hutchinson said in a video deposition that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) also inquired about a pardon, but did not ask for one personally—she recalled him inquiring about a broad, blanket pardon.
Gaetz heavily pushed for “preemptive pardons” starting in early December 2020 for lawmakers involved with the White House about talks to overturn the election, according to Hutchinson, adding Brooks also pushed for a pardon prior to January 6.
Former White House lawyer Eric Herschmann and John McEntee, the former director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, also both said in depositions they were aware Gaetz asked for a pardon.
Gaetz decried the January 6 committee in a tweet after Thursday’s hearing, calling it an “unconstitutional political sideshow,” but he did not address the allegations he asked for a pardon.
Crucial Quote
“Mr. Gaetz was personally pushing for a pardon, and he was doing so since early December,” Hutchinson said. “I’m not sure why.”
Key Background
Thursday’s meeting was the fifth held by the January 6 committee this month. It focused on former President Donald Trump’s effort to get the Justice Department to investigate false claims of voter fraud in order to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of lawmakers who requested pardons for themselves.
