There are moments in American history when the presidency reveals more than the character of one president. It reveals something about us.
Donald Trump’s second presidency should force America — especially Americans who describe themselves as Christians, defenders of police, protectors of children and guardians of law and order — to confront one uncomfortable question: What are we willing to excuse when the offender is politically useful to us?
Edmond W. Davis
On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a sweeping January 6 clemency proclamation covering virtually everyone convicted of federal offenses connected to the attack on the United States Capitol. Fourteen named individuals received commutations, while the proclamation granted a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” to the remaining convicted January 6 defendants.
The Justice Department subsequently began issuing the corresponding pardon certificates. Let us establish immediately what this means and does not mean. Trump did not pardon anyone for rape, child molestation, possession of child sexual abuse material, domestic violence or other unrelated crimes. Those offenses were separate.
But the fact that these crimes were separate does not erase the extraordinary moral and governmental question created when one president extends mass clemency to more than 1,500 people without publicly demonstrating individualized consideration of their broader criminal histories. Who was vetted? Who reviewed the records? What did the White House know about the people it was releasing?
And most importantly: Did political loyalty become more important than public safety?
The record already was there.
“Did political loyalty become more important than public safety?”
Before Trump returned to office, a CBS News investigation into January 6 defendants’ criminal histories examined federal sentencing records. CBS found at least 159 sentenced January 6 defendants with previous criminal records.
Those figures existed before Trump opened the clemency door. The question, therefore, is not whether every pardoned January 6 participant was dangerous. Clearly, they were not. The question is why a president would use one enormous political pardon instead of distinguishing a nonviolent trespasser from someone convicted of beating police officers — or someone carrying an extensive, unrelated, violent history. The administration itself described the January 6 prosecutions as a “grave national injustice.” But mass clemency erased distinctions that should matter in a system that claims to value law and order.
This is where the story becomes even more disturbing. A comprehensive June 2026 Lawfare investigation of January 6 clemency recipients identified at least 97 recipients who had been arrested for, charged with or convicted of crimes separate from January 6 since participating in the Capitol attack.
Another independent investigation from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington identified at least 40 pardoned January 6 participants who had subsequently been rearrested, charged or sentenced in other criminal matters. CREW reported that seven were charged with child-sex crimes, ranging from sexual assault to possession of child pornography and at least 12 allegedly committed additional offenses after receiving Trump’s pardon.
“What exactly does ‘Back the Blue’ mean if attacking the blue becomes pardonable when the attacker belongs to your political tribe?”
What happened to “Back the Blue”?
This administration and political movement have spent years positioning themselves as defenders of police. Yet Trump’s pardons included people convicted of attacking officers during January 6. More than 100 police officers were injured during the attack, and roughly 200 defendants had pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement before Trump’s clemency action.
What exactly does “Back the Blue” mean if attacking the blue becomes pardonable when the attacker belongs to your political tribe?
What happened to Christian accountability?
Here is where this issue becomes personally troubling to me as both a historian and Christian. Millions of Christians helped place Trump back in office. Many did so while campaigning on morality, protecting children, opposing sexual exploitation, defending police and restoring traditional values. So where is the outrage when the evidence becomes politically inconvenient?
Edmond W. Davis is a social historian, journalist, professor and documentary host. He is founder of the National HBCU Black Wall Street Career Fest. A native of Philadelphia, he lives with his wife and son in the Little Rock, Ark., area. Davis is committed to cultural empowerment and educational equity through storytelling and civic engagement.