United States Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wants to pardon all January 6 protesters if he is elected president. Picture: Scott Eisen/Getty Images/AFP
The United States Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wants to pardon all protesters involved in the January 6 Capitol riots if he is elected president in 2024.
The 38-year-old hopeful presidential candidate said that the United States had a “two-tiered justice system”.
"America now has a two-tiered justice system: Antifa (Anti-Fascists) and BLM (Black Lives Matter) rioters roam free while peaceful January 6 protesters are imprisoned without bail. Biden’s ‘Department of Injustice’ has executed over 1,000 arrests for non-violent offences related to January 6, casting a dark shadow over Lady Justice and the foundational principles of our legal system.
“To unify this country, I commit as president to pardon all Americans who were targets of politicised federal prosecutions and those denied due process. This includes all peaceful, non-violent January 6 protesters who were denied their constitutional due process rights,” Ramaswamy said in a statement on Wednesday.
The January 6 riot was one of America’s most publicised protests, as thousands of people stormed the United States Capitol building in Washington, DC.
It was said that the protesters were in support of former US President Donald Trump.
Following the release of the 2020 election campaign, in which Democratic candidate Joe Biden was elected President, Trump delivered a speech in which he reportedly told protesters to storm the Capitol.
The US federal authorities as well as other law enforcement agencies considered the January 6 riots an act of domestic tourism.
Trump was impeached for "incitement of insurrection" by the Democrats but was later acquitted.
The riot sparked one of the biggest investigations in US police history, as hundreds of people were brought up on criminal charges.
Ramasway wants to free these protesters if he is elected to office, but he also mentioned that he will vote for former President Donald Trump if he can secure a nomination to run in 2024.
Ramaswamy also wants to pardon Trump for the wide array of charges against him.
"If Donald Trump's the nominee, yes, I will support him, and if I'm the president, yes, I will pardon him because that will help reunite the country. But it's not the most important thing I'm going to do as the next president. It is the table stakes for moving this country forward," Ramaswamy told ABC News.
The entrepreneur will go up against the likes of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, and many other big names in American politics during the 2024 elections.
It is understood that Ramaswamy made his fortune in the biotech and finance industries before entering the political arena.
IOL