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President Trump’s early decision as a newly inaugurated president was to issue pardons to around 1,500 insurrectionists who had been convicted of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6. Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night talk show host, took the opportunity to criticize the President during an episode of Live. He specifically targeted Trump for pardoning what he described as “the simpletons who stormed the Capitol,” mentioning that some of them had prior criminal records.
Kimmel highlighted the case of one individual with 38 past convictions, 11 of which were related to violence or violent threats. He sarcastically questioned Trump’s supposed goal of removing criminals from the general population and jokingly remarked, “I can’t believe I voted for this guy three times.” Although the audience on Live reacted with some laughter to the jest, there were surprising boos from several audience members.
Amongst the “storm Trumpers” pardoned was Jacob Chansley, who went viral after the insurrection and became known as the QAnon Shaman.
In another segment, Kimmel featured a BBC interview with Chansley, one of the recently released insurrectionists, where he criticized the prison system for setting him free “to the public as a social pariah without the ability to own a firearm.” Notably, Chansley also made fun of the BBC reporter’s accent after she reminded him that he had “pleaded guilty” to a felony.
“I bet his cell mate is so happy he’s gone,” Kimmel responded with a laugh. “How long until one of these guys is arrested again?”
Trump isn’t the only president who issued an official pardon. Amongst those Biden pardoned with just days left in his presidency was Diddy, according to Kimmel.
“I guess Uncle Joe loves a freak off, I don’t know,” he quipped during a recent episode of Live.
For the record, Biden did not pardon Diddy. He did, however, pardon Dr. Fauci, Gen. Milley, and the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection to protect them against Trump, per the Associated Press.
Kimmel also joked that Trump signed an “arrest warrant” for The View hosts on his very first day in office. Many of the ladies of the daytime talk show have been vocal critics of Trump’s politics for years now.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on weeknights at 11:35/10:35c on ABC.
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