Commentary
Donald Trump’s litmus test awaits him on the Oval Office desk. The litmus test is the pardon for every one of the wrongly indicted and wrongly prosecuted Jan. 6 Trump supporters—which means all of them—who attended the 2021 rally and were persecuted for doing so. If Trump fails to immediately issue a full and unconditional pardon to all, officials who prosecuted MAGA supporters will have a precedent to repeat the maltreatment without fear of consequence.
If Trump waits, the establishment will erode the prospects of pardons. “Don’t embarrass Justice Department prosecutors and create an unwelcome environment for the new Attorney General.” “Let bygones be bygones.” “Let sleeping dogs lie.” Crises will appear. More urgent topics will pile on top of the pardons.
To help Trump stand by his supporters, Gary Heavin is working with American Patriot Relief, a nonprofit foundation, to marshal private jet airplanes to return to their homes the Jan. 6 protesters pardoned from prisons located at great distances from their homes. Volunteers will be waiting outside 75 prisons in 35 states to deliver those released to their homes. In cases where imprisonment caused the loss of their homes, housing will be provided until they are back on their feet. Some have suffered so severely from the prosecution and imprisonment that permanent care might be needed.
The project will work with other Jan. 6 support groups such as J6 Pardon Project, American Gulag Chronicles, Stophate, J6 A Road Home, Stand In The Gap, Patriot Mail Project, and Condemned USA. Heavin described the support efforts in his appearance on Ron Paul’s Rumble program on Jan. 15.
In my view, full pardon for all is just one-third of what needs to be done. Another one-third is the restitution for all expenses, lost income, and stress from being wrongly prosecuted and locked away from family, friends, and career in prison. In some cases, the Democrats imprisoned the wrongly convicted great distances from their communities, thus depriving them of support from visits from family and friends. Some were kept in solitary confinement.
The remaining one-third is actually the most important one-third. The DOJ, FBI, and White House officials responsible for the indictments, prosecutions, and imprisonments must be investigated. By weaponizing law for propaganda and political purposes and by using prosecutions for the purpose of suppressing inquiry into potential voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, some law enforcement officials appear to have broken the law. If crimes were committed, the perpetrator must be held accountable.
Otherwise, legal precedents are created that are fateful for democracy, the rule of law, and accountable government. Once precedents are established that officials have immunity for using the law not to enforce justice but to create injustice, the rule of law and accountable government cease to exist.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
