Trump vs Vance over Capitol Hill riots? Incoming VP says violent rioters shouldn’t be pardoned

US Vice President-elect JD Vance said on Sunday that he thinks those involved in the January 6 Capitol riots shouldn’t receive presidential pardons for their actions. Vance’s remarks marked a sharp contrast from what President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to do during his initial days in office.

“If you protested peacefully on Jan. 6 and you’ve had [Attorney General] Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance told Fox News on Sunday. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned," he added.

In December last year, Trump told NBC News that he would pardon his supporters who participated in the Jan 6 riots, on his first day in the office. He emphasised that the rioters had been prosecuted in a “very nasty system.” “I’m going to be acting very quickly, first day,” Trump said, adding that the rioters who have been convicted have “been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.”

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Trump and Vance’s different stances

Unlike Vance, the president-elect did not rule out pardoning those who pleaded guilty to violent crimes such as assaulting police officers. “Because they had no choice,” Trump said about the guilty pleas, adding: “I know the system. The system’s very corrupt. They say to a guy, ‘You’re going to go to jail for two years or 30 years.’ And these guys are looking, their whole lives have been destroyed. For two years, they’ve been destroyed.”

Last week, Trump reiterated his stance on the matter insisting that he was considering “major pardons” for Jan. 6 rioters and would not rule out including any of them from his list of pardons when asked. Meanwhile, Vance on Sunday said that “there’s a little bit of a grey area there," regarding those who committed violent acts during the riots.

He insisted that the upcoming Trump administration is “very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law.” Later in the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he clarified that he and the president would evaluate each Jan. 6 case individually and determine whether violent offenders who were “provoked” would be evaluated for pardons, too.

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First of all, I donated to the to the J6 political prisoner fund and got ROASTED for it during my senate race. I've been defending these guys for years.

Second, there were federal informants in the crowd. Do they get a pardon? I don't think so. The president saying he'll look at… https://t.co/MDUWkd37fP

— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 12, 2025

“The president saying he’ll look at each case (and me saying the same) is not some walkback. I assure you, we care about people unjustly locked up. Yes, that includes people provoked and it includes people who got a garbage trial,” Vance wrote.

It is pertinent to note that since January 2021, more than 1,270 defendants have been convicted in connection to their actions at the Capitol. Not only this more than 1,500 arrests have been made following the incident. As of now 700 people have completed their sentences or were never penalized with jail or prison time.

With inputs from agencies.