Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will look at possible pardons of Jan. 6 defendants and Donald Trump—if he’s found guilty of federal offenses—on Day 1 of his potential presidency. In an interview with Clay & Buck, the governor said he would be “aggressive at issuing pardons” for people who “are victims of weaponization or political targeting.” The newly minted presidential candidate said the FBI and DOJ have been “weaponized,” allegedly acting against anti-abortion demonstrators while not prosecuting “people that are attacking pro-lifers.” DeSantis acknowledged that in some cases, people may have a “technical violation of the law,” but claimed that Black Lives Matter protesters who apparently “did the same thing” don’t get prosecuted. “That is uneven application of justice,” the governor said. “We’re going to find examples where government has been weaponized against disfavored groups and we will apply relief as appropriate.” He clarified that the pardons would be issued on a case-by-case basis because “there’s a whole bunch of cases that don’t necessarily get headlines” and promised fair hearings for everyone treated “disfavorably,” “no matter how small or big.”
Read it at Clay & Buck
