In a new post on his social media site Truth Social, former President Donald Trump — who’s well on his way to securing Republicans’ presidential nomination this year — pledged to free defendants with criminal allegations originating in the 2021 Capitol riot if elected president. Trump consistently stumps for such individuals, characterizing the detainees as so-called “hostages” allegedly facing political plots behind the wide-ranging court proceedings ensnaring them.
“My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!” Trump wrote online late Monday.
The rhetoric mirrors Trump’s past proposals of presidential pardons for such individuals if he regains the White House. He’s been offering evident attempts at excuses for what in reality was devastating violence ever since the day of the attack when he claimed on social media that the developments constituted merely the “things and events” that follow from a stolen presidential election, though that did not happen.
On Tuesday, Trump turned his public focus to a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee covering an investigation into the discovery of classified documents at locations associated with President Joe Biden. Testifying to the GOP-controlled panel was Robert Hur, who as Special Counsel led the probe and declined to pursue any charges. Trump struggled through trying to make something stick against the president and his expected challenger in the general election later this year.
“He had many docs in CHINATOWN, and they were moved all over the place, and heavily used,” Trump claimed, misrepresenting the situation on multiple levels. “My boxes were moved by GSA, were secure, most carried clothing, shoes, sporting equipment, kitchen “stuff,” newspapers, pictures, magazines, awards, etc. The DOJ gave Biden, and virtually every other person and President, a free pass. Me, I’m still fighting!!!”
For starters, Chinatown generally refers just to an area of a metropolitan locale with many residents tracing family lineages to China and/or a prominent Chinese cultural presence. There is no real-world evidence to warrant automatic suspicion of such a place on the basis merely of its nature.
