Cheney criticizes DeSantis for Jan. 6 pardon remarks

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Thursday appeared to criticize Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for saying he’ll consider pardoning Jan. 6 defendants if elected president, arguing that anyone with such plans “is not qualified” for the White House. 

“Any candidate who says they will pardon Jan. 6 defendants is not qualified to be President,” Cheney wrote on Twitter. 

DeSantis, who launched his 2024 campaign Wednesday, said Thursday that if elected, he would consider “on day one” pardoning defendants connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

“On day one, I will have folks that will get together and look at all these cases, who people are victims of weaponization or political targeting, and we will be aggressive in issuing pardons,” DeSantis said on the “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” podcast when asked about whether he’ll consider pardoning the defendants, including Trump.

Trump is currently facing a federal investigation into the transfer of power in the 2020 election.

Cheney’s remarks, which followed DeSantis’s comments earlier in the day, also applied to the former president; Trump has said he’d consider pardons for Jan. 6 defendants if he gets another term.

The former Wyoming congresswoman was on the House select committee probing Jan. 6, which criminally referred Trump to the Justice Department (DOJ) for inciting an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement and obstruction of an official proceeding.

The DOJ has said it’s made more than 1,000 arrests in connection with Jan. 6, and nearly 500 people have been sentenced due to criminal activity that day.