Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said former President Donald Trump’s dangling of the prospect of pardons for the U.S. Capital rioters is “very important evidence as to his intent” for the violence unleashed by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.
Schiff, a member of the House select committee investigating the insurrection, suggested on MSNBC Wednesday that Trump’s comments at a weekend rally were part of a broader pattern of using pardons to influence and intimidate witnesses.
“I think his recent statements, as well as the public reports of prior inquiries about pardoning people involved in attacking the Capitol police that day, they go to a couple of things,” Schiff told anchor Lawrence O’Donnell, referencing new reports Trump considered blanket pardons for the rioters before he left office.
“They go to his intent,” Schiff continued. “If this violence against the Capitol wasn’t part of the plan, or wasn’t something he condoned, then why would he consider pardoning them?”
“So, I think it’s very important evidence as to his intent. But it also is I think part of that broader pattern … to influence potentially what witnesses have to say, or whether they will say it,” he added.
Watch the interview here: