President Donald Trump's pardoning of Jan. 6 defendants convicted of violent crimes or who pleaded guilty to committing violent crimes was "a mistake," Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said.
On his first day in office Monday, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 defendants in cases related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
Graham was among some Senate Republicans who took umbrage with Trump pardoning those who committed violence, especially against police officers.
"Pardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently I think was a mistake, because it seems to suggest that’s an OK thing to do," Graham said during an appearance Sunday on NBC News' "Meet the Press."
The senator admitted that Trump's move was not a surprise.
"There are a lot of people who supported President Trump — law enforcement — [that] didn’t like this, but he said it during the campaign. He’s not tricking people,” Graham told host Kristen Welker. "I'll be consistent here. I don't like the idea of bailing people out of jail or pardoning people who burn down cities and beat up cops, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat."
The senator said Trump's pardons, and those issued by former President Joe Biden to family members, could cause a reexamination of presidential pardon power.
"You know, Biden pardoned half his family going out the door. I think most Americans, if this continues ... will revisit the pardon power of the president," Graham said.
On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Trump's pardons for more than 1,000 people charged with crimes related to the 2021 Capitol attack were "un-American."
"There is no other way to describe President Trump's pardon of Jan. 6 offenders than un-American. Let's be clear," Schumer said from the Senate floor. "President Trump didn't just pardon protesters. He pardoned some people convicted of assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy."