Innocent people don’t ask for pardons before they’ve been charged with a crime
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Public Wise, an organization committed to fighting for a multiracial democracy that reflects the will and protects the rights of the people, released the following statement regarding the first January 6 committee hearing:
“Innocent people do not ask for pardons before they’ve even been charged with a crime,” said Christina Baal-Ownes, Public Wise Executive Director. “Yet last night, the January 6 committee revealed that multiple members of Congress who pushed the Big Lie made this tacit admission of guilt. Trump Republicans engaged in a criminal conspiracy to overturn a free and fair election. They quietly sought pardons because they know that the findings of the January 6 committee, which has already driven home just how close the U.S. came to a coup, will be damning. They know that come election day this fall, the American people will not stand behind politicians willing to overturn the results of a free and fair election. They know that the American people will hold insurrectionists and those who encouraged the insurrection accountable for their crimes.”
“It’s our job now to prove them right—by rallying behind pro-democracy, pro-voting rights candidates to force back the encroaching front of far-right, extremist candidates who would unravel democracy from the inside out at the ballot box this fall,” added Baal-Owens.
The hearings of the House select committee investigating January 6 are a critical mechanism for communicating this story of treason to the American people, and Public Wise is proud to have supported the committee in its work. This first hearing was just the beginning. Follow Public Wise on Twitter and Instagram for live reactions and updates on the hearings and related January 6 news.
About Public Wise
Persistent and unyielding in our commitment to a just multiracial democracy, Public Wise fights to secure a government that reflects the will and protects the rights of the people.
We accomplish this through education, research, organizing, funding, and partnerships that support more voting and more equitable representation.