President Trump’s pardons for those involved with efforts to overturn 2020 election results are “a rejection of American democracy”

In response to today’s news that President Trump is pardoning former U.S. Attorney General Rudolph W. Giuliani and more than 76 others involved in the effort to overturn the 2020 election, Issue One Policy Director Michael McNulty issued the following statement:

“President Trump’s pardons of those who supported his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results are a rejection of American democracy.

“The 2020 election was safe, secure, free, and fair, and nearly two in three Americans turned out to make their voices heard and choose their preferred candidate for president — the highest percentage of the electorate that had voted in more than a century. Rewarding those who tried to overturn the will of the people and conspire to keep their preferred candidate in power is a rejection of the very idea of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

“In more than 60 legal cases following the 2020 election, courts across the country thoroughly rejected baseless and unfounded challenges to the election results. Those who knowingly perpetuated false claims and attempted to tear apart the fabric of our democracy are guilty of undermining trust and faith in our elections, and they are undeserving of the grace afforded by today’s presidential pardons, no matter how symbolic they may be.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the thousands of local and state election officials who, on the receiving end of harassment and death threats for simply doing their jobs, have remained determined and committed to ensuring that our elections remain free, fair, and secure. They are the true heroes of our democracy.

“These pardons could weaken deterrence against future efforts to overturn election results. It is essential for the future of our democracy that we protect free and fair elections, so that our country never again faces such a brazen attempt to subvert the will of the American people.”

Background

Giuliani is not the only high-profile name that President Trump is pardoning. Sidney Powell (a former Trump attorney who spread conspiracy theories about ballot fraud), Mark Meadows, (Trump’s former White House chief of staff), Jeffrey Clark (a former Justice Department assistant attorney general), and Kenneth Chesebro (a private attorney who formerly advised Trump) were also all pardoned. The latter three each face election interference charges in Georgia, and Chesebro has pleaded guilty.

This decision also follows the president’s decision to pardon the more than 1,500 people charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol during the first day of his second term — including 1,030 people who have pleaded guilty for their actions, and 257 have been convicted by juries of their peers, and 1,121 have been sentenced for their crimes. Among the members of this violent mob were people who attacked and killed Capitol police officers and people who called for the hanging of the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.