Consequences for Trump: Outrageous pardons of violent Jan. 6 mob should sink his awful Cabinet picks

President Trump, who ignored the dependable proposal of his strongest and closest allies not to pardon the cop-assaulting felons of Jan. 6, should person his chaotic instincts curbed by the Republican Senate successful saying nary to the worst of his Cabinet nominees.

We are looking astatine you, Pete Hegetsh for defence and Bobby Kennedy Jr. for wellness and quality services and Tulsi Gabbard for manager of nationalist quality and Kash Patel for FBI director. None of them are astatine each qualified for the positions Trump tapped them for and helium tin bash overmuch amended with replacement picks for each job.

Just 2 days successful bureau and Trump needs a tangible reminder that determination are standards and norms (even for him) and giving Get Out of Jail Free cards to hundreds of convicted convulsive criminals is not acceptable and determination volition beryllium repercussions.

Of course, this is lone our medicine and we aren’t betting that Senate Republicans volition instrumentality the indispensable medicine. If they did, it would beryllium adjuvant some to Trump and themselves (and mostly to the country).

As to Trump’s offense, springing the thugs who pummeled the vastly outnumbered constabulary officers defending the Congress connected Jan. 6, a who’s who of apical MAGA loyalists said Trump should enactment distant from clemency from the convulsive criminals who utilized emblem poles and pipes and hands and feet to bust up D.C. cops and Capitol constabulary officers.

JD Vance connected Jan. 12, 8 days earlier helium became vice president, said connected Fox News: “If you committed unit connected that day, evidently you shouldn’t beryllium pardoned.”

Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for lawyer general, told the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation proceeding past week: “If confirmed and if asked to counsel the president, I volition look astatine each and each file. But fto maine beryllium precise wide successful speaking to you, I condemn immoderate unit connected a instrumentality enforcement serviceman successful this country.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said connected “Meet the Press” connected Sunday: “I deliberation what the president said and Vice President-elect JD Vance has said is that peaceful protesters should beryllium pardoned, but convulsive criminals should not.”

The adjacent day, a fewer hours aft being sworn in, Trump issued broad pardons to astir of the 1,500-plus rioters and commuted the situation sentences of 14 others, freeing them immediately. Released from the lock-up were each the cop-beaters, who had their transgression records wiped clean, arsenic good arsenic those specified arsenic Oath Keepers laminitis Stewart Rhodes and Proud Boys brag Enrique Tarrio, some convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Committing violence, that Vance counseled against, wasn’t a occupation for Trump and determination was nary lawsuit by lawsuit review, arsenic Bondi suggested.

When questioned by the property connected Tuesday, that “Aren’t you sending the connection that assaulting officers is OK with these pardons?” the president replied: “No, the opposite…I americium the person of constabulary much than immoderate president that has ever been successful this office.”

Trump needs to get backmost to world and rejecting his worst nominees is simply a bully mode to splash immoderate acold h2o connected his face. He volition beryllium aggravated for sure, but what’s the worst helium volition do? Send a mob led by the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys to onslaught the Senate?