Democrats offer roll call of who ‘didn’t ask’ Trump for a pardon

Congressional Democrats are needling their GOP colleagues after the Jan. 6 House select committee said some Republicans had asked former President Trump for a pardon following the 2021 Capitol riot.

A series of Democratic lawmakers posted to Twitter following the panel’s first hearing Thursday saying they “didn’t ask” for a pardon after the committee revealed that “multiple” GOP lawmakers allegedly requested a pardon from Trump after the riot.

“Ok I will start. I didn’t ask for a pardon,” wrote Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who was among the first to tweet about the topic.

“I didn’t ask for a pardon. I lived through the coup attempt and all I got was a lousy COVID infection,” tweeted Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.).

Others who tweeted similar comments included Democratic Reps. Gerry Connolly (Va.), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Sean Casten (Ill.), Juan Vargas (Calif.) and Chellie Pingree (Maine).

Schatz also retweeted his initial post to call on all members of Congress to answer “this simple question.”

During the select committee’s hearing Thursday, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the panel’s vice chair, said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) was one of multiple lawmakers who asked Trump for a pardon in the wake of the riot and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Perry has denied the allegation.

CNN previously reported in January 2021 that “several” GOP congressmen who were allegedly involved in the rally at the Ellipse near the White House before the Capitol riot requested pardons from Trump. 

Roling Stone reported in October that Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) floated the idea of Trump issuing “blanket pardons” for some who took part in organizing the rally at the Ellipse.