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Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confronted NBC News anchors on Monday in a controversial interview in which he rejected a perceived double standard applied to President Trump. by Democrats and the media.
McCarthy joined NBC’s inaugural coverage shortly after former President Biden issued a series of preventive pardons for five members of his family on his way out the door.
The former Republican lawmaker was asked how he reconciles Republican criticism of Biden’s last-minute pardons with Trump’s campaign promise to grant pardons to several people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
FLASHBACK: BIDEN TOLD CNN HE WOULD NOT ISSUE PREVENTATORY PARDONS BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE
First Lady Melania Trump, President Donald Trump, outgoing US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden participate in the Bidens’ departure ceremony on the East Front of the United States Capitol United in Washington, DC, after Donald’s inauguration. Trump as president on January 20, 2025. (Chris Kleponis/Pool via REUTERS)
“This is the difference. This president told the American public, while campaigning for office, ‘If I’m elected president, I will forgive these people,'” McCarthy responded. “Compare this to Joe Biden, who said he would never forgive his son, who now, on the last day of the last 30 minutes, forgives his entire family.”
“Terrible. Terrible,” he continued. “Think about what everyone else has been through. Why forgive your family? It doesn’t make sense to me… all it does is cover up that you did something wrong… you must know something that other people don’t know and what Why did you wait until 30 minutes before? Why did you tell the American public that you would never forgive your son and do it now? The difference here is whether you agree or disagree with what President Trump is going to do, le he told the American public in advance. They take it into account if they vote for. him for president, so he’s just fulfilling a campaign promise.”
When asked about concerns that Trump seek political retaliation against political opponents in power, McCarthy said it’s Democrats who need to take a hard look in the mirror.
“Look, this is what bothers me the most. The people who oppose President Trump, all they talk about is retaliation. I haven’t seen him take revenge on anyone when he was in power… he’s talked about it, but I …I’ve only seen the other side get revenge on him and everyone else.
“I’ll tell you this: Four years ago, when President Trump left office, everyone who worked for him was excluded. No one could get hired…no one could work anywhere and then everyone had to go to lawyers. Everyone “The world was getting prosecuted, the whole world was being watched. President Trump had to go through that and what the Democrats did to President Trump helped elect him by prosecuting him…” he continued.
McCarthy said Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, “will defend the rule of law.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I’ve seen people sit down and say, I want to go after you because you say you might do something in the future. We live in America, right? You’re innocent until proven guilty, but now they’re going after this. They’re going to defend the rule of law, “But they saw the other side of it: people were using a prosecution against them that was not correct. I think they will be more likely not to use it for that reason.”
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NBC host Savannah Guthrie responded, arguing that the prosecution of Trump for possession of classified documents was “not an abuse” of the rule of law.
“It’s all well and good that that was about President Trump, but at the same time you’re saying that, there was a President Joe Biden, who had the documents inside his garage,” McCarthy replied.
“This is something that was different… he had a document when he was a senator. I’ve been part of the gang of eight – at no time, anywhere… could a senator take a classified document. Done deal, “But he had one. Did they prosecute him? No. What did they say? He’s too old, but he’s the sitting president of the United States.” McCarthy continued.
US President Donald Trump speaks during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, Monday, January 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“So this is what we talk about about fair treatment. When people on the other side say ‘Oh my God, President Trump may do something in the future,’ he hasn’t done it. Give us time and… if he does something wrong, That’s an appropriate time to make an argument, but right now, I just watched a nation get a chance to heal. I watched world leaders come to this inauguration. I watched people spend millions of dollars against them. , sit right behind him and we’re excited,” McCarthy concluded. “I’ve seen titans in business say they’re changing their process…to be fair.”
