Vance States That Those Who Engaged in Violence on January 6 'Obviously' Do Not Deserve Pardon
The vice president-elect expressed his support for individuals he believes have been wrongfully incarcerated.
TroibNews 
Vice President-elect JD Vance stated that individuals who engaged in violence on January 6 “obviously” do not deserve pardons during an interview on "Fox News Sunday," where he addressed various topics just one week before his inauguration.
“I think it’s very simple, look if you protested peacefully on January 6th, and you had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance expressed in his conversation with host Shannon Bream. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there.”
He emphasized the importance of fair legal treatment, stating, “But we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law, and there are a lot of people we think in the wake of January 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that.”
As he prepares for his role as vice president on January 20, Vance covered topics including the economy, immigration, and the anticipated actions from President-elect Donald Trump in his initial days in office.
Vance anticipates “dozens” of executive orders from Trump on his first day, specifically related to border security. He countered notions that large-scale deportations would lead to family separations and detrimental circumstances.
“They're going to say that this is all about compassion for families. It is not compassion to allow the drug cartels to traffic small children. It is not compassionate to allow the worst people in the world to send minor children, some of them victims of sex trafficking, into our country,” Vance noted. “That is the real humanitarian crisis at the border. You're not going to exacerbate it through law enforcement.”
He continued, “Most Americans want common-sense border enforcement. We can't buy into this lie that law enforcement at the American southern border is somehow not compassionate to families who want to cross illegally.”
Regarding Trump’s recent remarks about acquiring Greenland from Denmark, Vance expressed his support for the president-elect, highlighting that Greenland “has a lot of great natural resources” and that “the people of Greenland want to be empowered to develop the resources there.” When questioned about the potential use of military force, Vance pointed out that U.S. troops are already stationed in Greenland, rendering military action unnecessary.
“There actually is a real opportunity here for us to take leadership to protect America's security, to ensure that those incredible natural resources are developed,” he said. “And that's what Donald Trump is good at. He's good at making deals, and I think there's a deal to be made in Greenland.”
Vance also touched on the ongoing wildfire situation in California, reiterating that Trump “would love to visit California” in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s invitation for a non-divisive visit during this critical time.
While Vance did not confirm whether Trump might withhold aid from California—a stance Trump has previously considered—he asserted that Trump cares about all Americans and desires FEMA to be more “clued in” on events occurring on the ground. He also remarked that while the federal government needs to improve, it doesn't mean that Newsom's policies should escape criticism.
“There is a serious lack of competent governance in California. And I think it's part of the reason why these fires have gotten so bad,” Vance remarked. “We need to do a better job at both the state and federal level.”
Following the interview's broadcast, Vance defended his comments regarding January 6, as users on X criticized him for not fully endorsing pardons for all individuals who stormed the Capitol that day.
“I assure you, we care about people unjustly locked up,” he posted on X, mentioning his contributions to the January 6 political prisoner fund. “Yes, that includes people provoked and it includes people who got a garbage trial.”
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
“I think it’s very simple, look if you protested peacefully on January 6th, and you had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance expressed in his conversation with host Shannon Bream. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there.”
He emphasized the importance of fair legal treatment, stating, “But we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law, and there are a lot of people we think in the wake of January 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that.”
As he prepares for his role as vice president on January 20, Vance covered topics including the economy, immigration, and the anticipated actions from President-elect Donald Trump in his initial days in office.
Vance anticipates “dozens” of executive orders from Trump on his first day, specifically related to border security. He countered notions that large-scale deportations would lead to family separations and detrimental circumstances.
“They're going to say that this is all about compassion for families. It is not compassion to allow the drug cartels to traffic small children. It is not compassionate to allow the worst people in the world to send minor children, some of them victims of sex trafficking, into our country,” Vance noted. “That is the real humanitarian crisis at the border. You're not going to exacerbate it through law enforcement.”
He continued, “Most Americans want common-sense border enforcement. We can't buy into this lie that law enforcement at the American southern border is somehow not compassionate to families who want to cross illegally.”
Regarding Trump’s recent remarks about acquiring Greenland from Denmark, Vance expressed his support for the president-elect, highlighting that Greenland “has a lot of great natural resources” and that “the people of Greenland want to be empowered to develop the resources there.” When questioned about the potential use of military force, Vance pointed out that U.S. troops are already stationed in Greenland, rendering military action unnecessary.
“There actually is a real opportunity here for us to take leadership to protect America's security, to ensure that those incredible natural resources are developed,” he said. “And that's what Donald Trump is good at. He's good at making deals, and I think there's a deal to be made in Greenland.”
Vance also touched on the ongoing wildfire situation in California, reiterating that Trump “would love to visit California” in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s invitation for a non-divisive visit during this critical time.
While Vance did not confirm whether Trump might withhold aid from California—a stance Trump has previously considered—he asserted that Trump cares about all Americans and desires FEMA to be more “clued in” on events occurring on the ground. He also remarked that while the federal government needs to improve, it doesn't mean that Newsom's policies should escape criticism.
“There is a serious lack of competent governance in California. And I think it's part of the reason why these fires have gotten so bad,” Vance remarked. “We need to do a better job at both the state and federal level.”
Following the interview's broadcast, Vance defended his comments regarding January 6, as users on X criticized him for not fully endorsing pardons for all individuals who stormed the Capitol that day.
“I assure you, we care about people unjustly locked up,” he posted on X, mentioning his contributions to the January 6 political prisoner fund. “Yes, that includes people provoked and it includes people who got a garbage trial.”
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
