Polk County (Florida) Sheriff Grady Judd supports Trump but disagrees with the blanket pardon of Jan. 6 rioters, including those who attacked officers.Polk County SO
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says he is excited about President Donald Trump’s calls to strengthen immigration enforcement and emphasize law and order in his second term.
But One of Trump’s first acts, though, disappointed Judd. Following through on a campaign promise, Trump announced Monday night — hours after his inauguration — that he signed an order granting pardons or commutations to everyone charged with or convicted of crimes related to the U.S. Capitol attack of Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump’s action has Polk County relevance. The list of nearly 1,600 accused rioters includes eight current or former Polk County residents, including three accused of assaulting police officers outside the Capitol, the Ledger reports.
“Certainly it’s within the president’s authority to do what he did,” Judd said Tuesday. “I would have much rather that he considered those cases independently, rather than blanket pardons and commutations because there is never an acceptable reason to assault, hit, attack law enforcement officers who are trying to do their job. So, I certainly, if I were president, I would not have commuted or pardoned anyone that attacked a law enforcement officer.”
Judd added that he did not know the circumstances of each individual case. But many of the nearly 1,600, some of whom have already been convicted or pleaded guilty, were charged with assaulting police officers on Jan. 6.