As Trump continues to back his collection of rioting supporters from a distance, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and other GOP senators are not interested in entertaining reduced or suspended sentences for defendants who have already pleaded guilty in their respective cases.
"I would not be in favor of shortening any of the sentences for any of the people who pleaded guilty to crimes," McConnell told reporters questioning him about Trump's comments during a rally in Conroe, Texas, on Saturday.
He went on to emphasize that the individuals who stormed the US Capitol building, no matter their political affiliation, were wishing to "prevent the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another, which has never happened before in our country."
"The election of 2020 was decided Dec. 14 of 2020 when the Electoral College certified the winner of the election," the Senate GOP Leader said.
"What we saw here on January the 6th was an effort to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another, which has never happened before in our country," McConnell stated.
At least 165 individuals "have pleaded guilty to crimes" in connection to the riot, McConnell noted. Over 700 people have been charged so far.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) stated that Trump's message of potential pardons for January 6 rioters was "inappropriate," as such a statement could be viewed as a "signal that it was okay to defile the Capitol."
"There are other groups with causes that may want to go down to the violent path that these people get pardoned," Graham hinted during a recent appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"If I run and if I win we will treat those people from January 6 fairly," Trump told rally attendees in Canoe, some 40 miles from Houston, Texas. "And if it requires pardons we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly."
Although Trump has been massaging his base with rallies nationwide, the former US president has not publicly committed to a 2024 presidential run.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), one of two Republicans on the 9-member US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol panel, rebuked Trump's weekend commentary and claimed that the former US president is knowingly using language that caused the violence on January 6, 2021.
"He'd do it all again if given the chance," Cheney noted, speaking of Trump's attempt to subvert the results of the presidential election.