Editor,

In response to Mr. Tom Ewell’s letter, “Trump should pardon other criminals,” Saturday, Feb. 1. President Trump, and many Americans, observed the selectively one-sided, very politicized, Nancy Pelosi January 6th Committee investigation that was out with determination to pin the blame on Trump and frustrate his future reelection efforts.

Some bystanders, just observing, never entering the Capitol building, were coerced into confessions or threatened with prison time and large fines by zealous investigators. Some were found guilty of serious crimes and rightly sentenced. Most of them, some 900, were non-violent misdemeanors, such as trespass and disorderly conduct and many received sentences far out of proportion to their offenses. Trump granted the clemency all at once.

Many Democrats and party loyal media outlets have criticized Trump’s mass clemency for the January 6 defendants, even as they casually downplayed or ignored President Biden’s far more serious affront to our justice system. Biden granted pardons and commutations to more than 8,000 individuals, which is more than any other modern president. Thousands of Biden’s clemency grants were to convicted serious criminals, including murderers, child killers, child abusers and the biggest municipal embezzler in history.

Joe Biden, in one of his final acts as president, pardoned members of the House Committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Now why would he do that? Was there something illegal or unethical about the committee, its methods, findings, or purpose? Democracy was never in danger on January 6th by the rioters.

Ed Hickey

Oak Harbor