The pardons granted by Trump on January 6 divide the Republican Party: from the political office

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In today’s edition, we explain how members of his party are reacting to the sweeping pardon he granted to the January 6 defendants. Plus, Steve Kornacki takes a historical look at the position JD Vance now finds himself in: vice president to a president who cannot run for another term.

—Adam Wollner

The pardons granted by Trump on January 6 divide the Republican Party

Of all decrees President Donald Trump signed his first day in office, the one that resonated most in Washington was his decision to pardon the January 6 rioters.

With a stroke of the pen, Trump granted pardons to approximately 1,500 criminal defendants and commuted the sentences of 14 others in connection with the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also ordered the closure of hundreds of cases that were still being prosecuted.

As reported by Scott Wong, Frank Thorp V, Kate Santaliz and Katie Taylor, the graces of January 6 sparked the reaction of a handful of Republican senators. They quickly found themselves where they often found themselves a few years ago: reacting to Trump’s latest actions or comments.

Reactions generally fell into four camps.

There, those who externally criticized the graces of January 6particularly for people convicted of violence against police officers. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she was “disappointed” by Trump’s decision and concerned about the message it sent to the officers who defended the Capitol that day.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said, “I just can’t agree” with Trump’s pardons.

Some did not openly criticize Trump but refused to support the decision.. “The president made this decision. You’ll have to ask him. I won’t defend him,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, said that if he had been president he would not have pardoned the people who committed violence on January 6, but he added that Trump had kept his campaign promise.

There are some who brushed aside the questions and attempted to draw attention to Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his family members in his final minutes as president.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he’s “looking forward to the next four years, not the last four,” when pressed about Trump’s decision.

“Would you like to ask Biden the same questions?” Thune responded when asked what message this sent to the officers who were attacked that day.

And then there were those who celebrated pardons. Some members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, such as Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, went to a Washington prison where on January 6 the detainees were released.

What Trump says: He defended the January 6 pardons during a press conference Tuesday. Katherine Doyle reports.

“They served years in prison,” Trump said in response to questions from White House reporters about why he pardoned violent offenders. “They should not have served their time, and they spent years in prison. And murderers don’t even go to jail in this country.”

What current and former prosecutors say: Justice Department officials and legal experts call the move an unprecedented and dangerous use of the pardon power, which dealt a fatal blow not only to federal law enforcement but also to the U.S. justice system. as reported by Ken Dilanian and Ryan J. Reilly.

“I don’t think it’s acceptable,” Jason Manning, who spent years as attorney general working on the Jan. 6 cases in Washington, told NBC News in an exclusive interview. “I find pardons appalling.”

What you need to know about day two of the Trump presidency

Beyond the fallout from the January 6 pardons, the second day of Trump’s mandate once again brought its share of news. Here are the first lines:

• Asset announced a joint venture with OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank to invest billions of dollars in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States.
• Asset met with congressional Republicans at the White House, where they discussed their legislative strategy and the possibility of using recess appointments to confirm Cabinet nominees.
• Democratic attorneys general filed lawsuits seeking to block Trump’s attempt to revoke the right to automatic birthright citizenship. This is one of many executive actions that are likely to face retaliation courts.
• The Department of Homeland Security announced that it cancel restrictions which prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at “sensitive locations,” such as schools, churches, or daycares, even at weddings or funerals, as NBC News reported the new administration had planned.
• The Trump administration fired four senior officials in the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review, which oversees the U.S. immigration courts.
• The bishop leading the inaugural prayer service On Tuesday, he urged Trump to “have mercy” on his voters, specifically naming LGBTQ people and immigrants.

Vance takes on unique role as vice president for second term

When he was sworn in Monday, JD Vance immediately took on a unique position on the political stage: as vice president to a term-limited president.

Rather than wait eight years (and spend the next four years promoting his boss’s re-election efforts), Vance enters office with the Republican nomination for the 2028 presidential election wide open. It’s a position that six previous vice presidents have enjoyed since the enactment of the 22nd Amendment, which capped presidential terms at two terms.

All but one harbored presidential ambitions of their own, although only three succeeded in securing their party’s next nomination—only one, George H. W. Bush, in 1988, won the presidency.