Headline Roundup • January 22nd, 2025
J6 Pardons Divide Conservative Establishment
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Trump recently pardoned those charged for their connections to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, a decision that split the conservative establishment.
The Details: The largest police union in the U.S., which had previously endorsed Trump, condemned Trump's Jan 6. pardons. Other publications on the right, The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board (Lean Right bias) and The National Review Editorial Board (Right bias) also condemned the move. An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that 30% of Republicans disapproved of the pardons.
The Criticism: Those who disagreed with Trump made an argument about the rule of law. The Wall Street Journal said, “Law and order? Back the blue? What happened to that GOP?” WSJ and the National Review, as conservative editorial boards, tend to prioritize norms and traditions and have broken from Trump at times when he commits norm violations. However, they have also praised Trump when he has made decisions that further conservative principles.
Why It Matters: While outlets and commentators may share the same bias and some of the same political conclusions, disagreements within those factions can illuminate differences in values and temperament.
Featured Coverage of this Story
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Republicans are busy denouncing President Biden’s pre-emptive pardons for his family and political allies, and deservedly so. But then it’s a shame you don’t hear many, if any, ruing President Trump’s proclamation to pardon unconditionally nearly all of the people who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. This includes those convicted of bludgeoning, chemical spraying, and electroshocking police to try to keep Mr. Trump in power. Now he’s springing them from prison.
This is a rotten message from a President about political violence done on his behalf,...
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was a national disgrace. It was also a crime. Protesters physically forced Congress to adjourn its constitutionally mandated joint session and evacuate the building. There were assaults on police, theft, and an estimated $2.88 million in damage to property. A dozen police officers spent months recovering from injuries. Protesters who got inside the Capitol chanted death threats aimed at then-vice president Mike Pence.
As happens when chaos is unleashed, bad things follow. One protester was shot to death by a Capitol police officer while at...
