As Republican support firms up behind President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to pardon protesters charged and convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol affair, resentment is growing that liberal Black Lives Matter rioters got off easier for their 2020 violence.
A new survey shared with Secrets said that 51% of Republicans feel that the Black Lives Matter rioters were given better treatment than Jan. 6 protesters.
In the new Napolitan poll, even 19% of Democrats agreed.
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Overall, according to pollster Scott Rasmussen, 34% said Jan. 6 protesters were treated worse than Black Lives Matter protesters, 22% said they were treated better, and 20% said they were treated about the same.
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How the Justice Department handled those involved in the two protests has irked Republicans for years. Critics claim that Black Lives Matter and antifa rioters were not rounded up for their violence in big cities and against police headquarters as much as Jan. 6 protesters, most of whom did nothing violent.
Antifa and BLM were photographed for weeks burning cars and looting following the May 2020 death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. They caused $2 billion in damages.
Trump has said that he will begin pardoning Jan. 6 protesters on the first day of his presidency, arguing that most have served in jail long enough.
Rasmussen said that the pardon of Hunter Biden by his father President Joe Biden has helped to clear the way for Trump’s plan.
“These numbers highlight the hyper-partisan nature of our current political moment. Republicans tend to think the BLM rioters got off easy while Democrats say the same about the January 6 protesters,” Rasmussen told Secrets.
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“While pardoning the January 6 protesters is not popular with voters, it’s no less popular than President Biden’s pardon of his son. In a sense, then, Biden helped Trump by giving him political cover,” he said.
“In the long run, if Trump pardons the protesters, it’s likely to have little impact on his presidency. If the economy improves and the border is secured, voters will be pleased. Additionally, because of Biden’s behavior, the Ds won’t have any luck trying to gain the moral high ground,” he added.
