'Trying to make false equivalencies': Angry debate precedes MI vote to condemn Trump pardons

It was a highly contentious Thursday session in the Michigan Senate as a resolution to condemn the pardons issued by President Donald Trump for those charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol drew angry accusations with multiple senators gaveled down for exceeding either the rules or decorum of the chamber.

The resolution, SR 6, which passed the Democratic-controlled chamber strictly along party lines, was introduced by Senate Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) and sought to officially condemn the pardons as “an act of betrayal to the brave law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line on January 6, 2021, as well as to the citizens of the United States.” The measure noted that among the “1,500 criminals pardoned by President Trump, 169 of them were found guilty of assaulting police officers,” and that the pardons were condemned by both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police.

After a heated debate, where several Republican senators were gaveled down for straying from the resolution at hand, SR 6 passed 19-13, with state Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) not voting.

Trump issues pardons for 1,500 defendants charged in Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol

On his first day back in office, Trump granted a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” to approximately 1,560 defendants and commuted the prison sentences for 14 of the most serious offenders on Jan. 6, including leaders of the paramilitary groups the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. The decision drew both widespread acclaim from the President’s allies and MAGA followers and condemnation from Democrats and law enforcement groups.

Thursday’s resolution in the Michigan Senate broke along the same lines.

Singh implored his colleagues to support the measure, saying that democracy, the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power should transcend partisanship and politics.

“All those things that we value came under attack on January 6th with the actions of a violent mob seeking to overturn the election and keep Donald Trump in power,” said Singh. “We had to relive that painful part of our history this month when that same person, now returned to the White House by the very democracy he spent so long questioning and eroding, pardoned these members as well as the most egregious of offenders.”

Singh closed by saying it was disturbing that his Republican colleagues did not stand up and condemn the pardons.

“I often hear about your support of law enforcement, but I saw you walk away from law enforcement by not condemning the actions of this president. I want to give you that opportunity with this resolution to fix that,” said Singh.

State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) spoke out in opposition to both the resolution as well as Singh’s characterization, saying that while there were certainly “bad players on Jan. 6” there were also defendants he asserted were simply “walking through the Capitol” and did nothing wrong.

“There’s a lot of people like that, and that’s the focus of President Trump,” he said. “President Trump was attacked by all of this lawfare with state charges. He’s seen firsthand this stuff. What did the Democrats do? What did [former President Joe] Biden do during the summer of love when people were murdered, when the entire cities were up in flames? Nothing! Nothing!”

Runestad was referencing the Black Lives Matter protests and ensuing riots that occurred in 2020 following the death by Minneapolis Police of George Floyd. Trump was president at the time.

“Biden pardoned murderers, hundreds of people, thousands of people, many of them terrible murderers,” said Runestad before being gaveled down by Senate President Pro Tem Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield).

“Senator, I’ve given you a lot of leeway, but this is really straying off the path of the resolution. You’re questioning the motivations of members and you’re straying off of the intent of the resolution,” said Moss, as Runestad could be heard yelling in the background, although his microphone had been turned off.

Runestad is currently a candidate to chair the Michigan Republican Party, along with former party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock, GOP consultant Scott Greenlee and Joe Cella, former ambassador to Fiji during the first Trump administration.

Sen. Jonathan Lindsay (R-Allen), called the prosecutions “one of the worst examples of weaponization of our government against its citizens that has ever happened in our history,” alleging that the pardoned defendants were met at the Capitol “with open doors and police officers waving them inside.”

More than 140 police officers were injured in the Capitol attack, which caused roughly $2.8 million in damage to the Capitol.

“How long does somebody have to be sent to a gulag and have their rights violated, their due process violated? How long?” asked Lindsay, who then questioned why they weren’t discussing Dr. Anthony Fauci receiving a preemptive pardon from Biden shortly before he left office.

Fauci, who served as the chief medical expert during the COVID-19 pandemic and was often at odds with Trump, has been the target of investigations from congressional Republicans.

“I would encourage us to have a more open mind and think about things like President Biden pardoning criminals from his family and Gen. [Mark] Milley who was accused of treason,” said Lindsay.

Milley, who served as a top military adviser to Trump during his first term, later called him a “fascist.” The second Trump administration has since stripped Milley of his security detail and ordered an investigation into his conduct.

“I want us all to reflect for a moment that just now on the floor of the Michigan Senate, a Republican senator stood up and said that a man who was convicted of using bear spray against police officers and striking police officers with a metal whip was treated unfairly by our justice system and that he was rightfully pardoned and let out with a slap on the wrist,” said Irwin, referencing Andrew Taake of Texas, who was released by Trump’s pardon and is now wanted by authorities on a 2016 charge of soliciting a minor online.

Irwin also mentioned the cases of Daniel Ball, of Florida who was arrested just days after being pardoned on federal gun charges, and Matthew Huttle of Indiana, who was shot dead after confronting police with a gun.

“Again, we see here on the floor people trying to make false equivalencies pointing at other incidents that happened like when folks were out protesting. You know what? You’re not correct when folks were out protesting in the street and they broke the law, they were prosecuted. There were hundreds of people prosecuted,” said Irwin, who then addressed Runestad’s comments.

“When [Runestad] says those things, he is either not telling the truth or he just doesn’t know the truth,” said Irwin.

Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) rose and made a point of order, saying Irwin was “impugning the motives of other members.” Moss agreed.

Other Democrats speaking in support of the resolution included Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) who recalled receiving a voicemail from the mother of a Capitol police officer who died as a result of the Jan. 6 attack who said if only more people had stood up in “opposition to conspiracies and anger and fear and lies and calls for violence” her son might still be alive today.

Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), who was tearful while speaking, read a quote from Caroline Edwards, a Capitol police officer who suffered a brain injury in the attack, describing “officers on the ground … bleeding. They were throwing up. I saw friends with blood all over their faces. I was slipping in people’s blood. It was carnage. It was chaos.”

Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) attempted to offer an amendment, but was turned down by Moss, who said it did not pertain to the resolution at hand. That was also put to a vote and upheld by majority Democrats.

Nesbitt, who is running for the GOP nomination for governor in 2026, criticized majority Democrats for the way they ran the chamber, something also echoed by McBroom.

“Transcribing MSNBC segments into state resolutions like this one is and blindly seeking to sue their political opponents, your actions and inactions speak volumes about the priorities of this chamber with this majority,” Nesbitt said.

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