Republicans on Capitol Hill are desperate to move on from Donald Trump’s blanket pardon of Jan. 6 rioters, contending that the president has the authority to do whatever he wants when it comes to pardons. But that argument only seems to apply to a president when he is named “Trump” — and certainly not Joe Biden.
When Speaker Mike Johnson was asked about Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons this week, he noted that the president has “the pardon and commutation authority.”
“It’s his decision,” Johnson said, adding that Congress didn’t want to “second guess” President Trump.