DORAL, Fla. (AP) — A key ally of President Donald Trump said the White House pardoning rioters who fought with police while storming the U.S. Capitol in 2021 is “sending the wrong signal” and expressed concern about the future ramifications of issuing sweeping clemencies.

“I have always said that, I think, when you pardon people who attack police officers, you’re sending the wrong signal to the public at large,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is close to Trump, told CNN on Sunday. “It’s not what you want to do to protect cops.”

Within hours of taking office last week, Trump issued a sweeping clemency order covering around 1,500 rioters for their role on the Capitol attack that attempted to block congressional certification of Joe Biden ‘s 2020 election victory on Jan. 6, 2021.

Among those released from prison was Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers, who orchestrated the plot that resulted in the attack. Rhodes was among a large group of supporters who were standing and cheering behind Trump on stage when the president delivered a speech at the Circa resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, before flying to Florida to spend the rest of the weekend at his resort in Doral.

Source: Apnews