Trump won’t rule out compensation for Jan. 6 Capitol rioters accused of assaulting police | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump has said that he does not completely rule out compensation for those accused in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those accused of assaulting police officers.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump defended the proposed “anti-gun” fund, arguing that many of those indicted on January 6 were unfairly targeted by prosecutors.
Asked whether people who attacked police officers during the Capitol riots should receive taxpayer-funded compensation, Trump said, “I don’t want to say it, but I have to see it,” NBC News reported.
Trump defends proposed anti-gun fund
According to NBC News, Trump has strongly backed a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-gun” fund that came out of a settlement related to his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leaking of his tax returns.
“Well, look. If it were up to me, I would pay them the money they deserve,” Trump said.
“People were destroyed. Lives were destroyed. A lot of suicides, think about it. People committed suicide because a bunch of thugs were after them.”
Trump has said he supports the idea of compensating people he believes have been harmed by politically motivated investigations and prosecutions.
“I love the idea,” he said of the fund.
The future of the fund remains uncertain
The future of the fund remains unclear.
On May 29, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from establishing the fund while a lawsuit against the initiative continues.
Meanwhile, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on June 2 that the administration is “not moving forward with the fund, period.”
But when asked by reporters the following day about the fund’s status, Trump seemed less certain.
“I’ll have to ask the lawyers. I don’t know,” he said.
Trump accuses government of ‘weaponizing’
Trump argued that many people had suffered severe personal consequences from what he described as government “weaponization” under former President Joe Biden.
“So let me explain what the fund is,” Trump said.
“People have been hurt so badly by radical left-wing lunatics working for the Biden administration and Sleepy Joe.”
Trump also referred to a federal investigation into his Florida residence.
“They attacked Mar-a-Lago and all the other things,” he said.
The President further claimed that some affected individuals have lost their jobs, families and financial stability.
“People were badly hurt. They committed suicide. They lost their jobs. They lost their families. They lost their wives. They lost everything,” Trump told NBC News.
More than 1,600 people are charged with the attack on the Capitol
About 1,600 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol attack, according to federal records cited by the reporter.
More than 1,100 defendants were convicted before the end of the Biden administration.
The January 6 attack occurred as Congress convened to confirm Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Rioters stormed the Capitol building, some carrying items including stun guns, bear spray and flagpoles.
More than 140 police officers were injured in the violence.
Trump defends guilty pleas by defendants
Trump also told NBC News that many of the Jan. 6 defendants pleaded guilty because they feared long prison terms.
“They pleaded guilty because they were scared,” he said.
“They went down. They were ushered into the building. Many of them were arrested without entering the building.”
Trump argued that individual cases should be evaluated separately by those overseeing any future compensation program.
“People have been destroyed by dirty cops and guns. Many of these people should be compensated,” he said.
Trump previously pardoned the participants on January 6
During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to pardon many of the people involved in the riots at the Capitol.
On the first day of his second term, he pardoned roughly 1,500 individuals linked to the January 6 attack, including some convicted of assaulting police officers.
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