As Donald Trump prepares to take office again, the country is still coming to terms with what happened on January 6, 2021. But perhaps the best way to move forward is to neither forgive nor forget the past—but obliterate it. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/podsub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What if President Joe Biden had pardoned the January 6th insurrectionists, I.e.
the 1500 or so people charged with federal crimes related to the riot.
And, yeah, I said Joe Biden, not President Elect Donald Trump.
This is an idea I've heard floated around these past few weeks.
And.
And on its face, it sounds illogical, like,
why on earth would the outgoing Democratic president pardon people who damaged property
or injured law enforcement officers or plotted to overthrow democracy?
Trump has said many times that he will pardon the J6ers.
He said he'll pardon some of them or most of them,
or even consider pardoning all of them at different times.
He said he'll pardon them on his very first day in office, which is just in a few days.
People that were doing some bad things weren't prosecuted,
and people that didn't even walk into the building are in jail right now.
So we'll be looking at the whole thing, but I'll be making major pardons?
Yes, please.
Right.
So why would Biden do that again?
I'm Hanna Rosen.
This is Radio Atlantic.