Between January 6 and current president Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, Mr Trump made a number of calls to advisers to float the idea of a blanket pardon for all those involved in storming the Capitol building, according to anonymous sources speaking to Politico. During the riots, Trump supporters were spurred on by comments made by the Republican president who breached the Capitol building in an attempt to disrupt the certification of president Joe Biden’s victory.
Over 100 police officers were injured, and seven people died.
More than 700 people have been charged over their involvement in the storming, the most serious of which include counts of seditious conspiracy.
One adviser revealed Mr Trump had asked in the wake of the riots: “Do you think I should pardon them?
“Do you think it’s a good idea?
“Do you think I have the power to do it?”
A second ex-presidential adviser claimed Mr Trump was curious about the criminal charges brought against the rioters, and how they could be shielded by a pardon for all.
This adviser said Mr Trump probed whether “everybody that had a Trump sign or everybody who walked into the Capitol” could be eligible for a pardon.
The adviser added: “He said, ‘Some people think I should pardon them.’ He thought if he could do it, these people would never have to testify or be deposed.”
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A third adviser recounted how Mr Trump was weighing up whether he should drop a bombshell announcement of his candidacy for 2024 just before President Biden’s inauguration last year.
They recalled: “At the time, he wanted to not just be the leader of the party, but flat-out show the world that he’s running again and you’re not going to stop him.”
Mr Trump said at a rally in Texas last week he would revisit the convictions for those who faced prosecution for their part in the riots at the start of 2021.
He told the crowd gathered near Houston: “If I run and I win, we will treat those people from January 6 fairly.
“And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons, because they are being treated so unfairly.”
His comments sparked backlash from the House committee tasked with investigating the Capitol riots, including Wisconsin Republican Representative Liz Cheney.
She said: “Trump uses language he knows caused the January 6 violence; suggests he’d pardon the January 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy; threatens prosecutors, and admits he was attempting to overturn the election.”
She cautioned: “He’d do it all again if given the chance.”
A spokesperson for Mr Trump declined to comment upon request from Politico.