Schimel supports presidential pardons, defends Jan. 6 rioters
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- President Donald Trump's decision to pardon those who were convicted of violent crimes or pleaded guilty to committing violent crimes during the Jan. 6 attack is shaping up to be an issue in Wisconsin's state Supreme Court race.
On Monday, Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel said anyone convicted for assaulting a police officer during the 2021 attack should be held accountable but also voiced support for President Trump's power to issue pardons.
"Presidents have the power to pardon,” said Brad Schimel, a former Republican attorney general backed by conservatives. "President Biden has issued pardons. President Trump has now issued pardons as he’s come in and presidents over history have done that. It’s a power they have. I don’t object to them utilizing that power.”
His comments come as Trump has received bipartisan criticism after granting clemency to 1,500 people involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection, including pardons to many who attacked members of law enforcement.
Some Republicans, including Rep. Derrick Van Order (WI 3rd District), have voiced opposition to pardoning individuals who attacked police officers.
Schimel also reiterated prosecutors "overreached" by charging nonviolent offenders during Jan. 6th but added anyone who engaged in violence on Jan. 6 "should have been prosecuted" and "held accountable."
Schimel faces Dane County Judge Susan Crawford on April 1. The contest will decide whether liberals maintain their majority or conservatives flip it.
Derrick Honeyman, a spokesman for the Crawford campaign, knocked Schimel for backing presidential pardons and defending some Jan. 6 rioters.
“Judge Crawford believes anyone found guilty of violently assaulting law enforcement and first responders should be held accountable, including those who assaulted police in our nation’s capital on Jan. 6," Honeyman said. "It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that Brad Schimel supports letting violent criminals go free."
A former Capitol police officer who was there on Jan. 6 will visit Milwaukee and Madison on Tuesday. Harry Dunn will be joined by community advocates to condemn President Trump's pardons surrounding the 2021 attack, according to a press release.
Dunn, who started a PAC last year to support candidates running against pro-Trump Republicans, also plans to call on Schimel and Crawford to "defend democracy" in the high stakes race.
Schimel will also be criticized by Dunn for comments he made on a conservative radio show earlier this month. During an appearance on the Vicki McKenna show, Schimel argued the Jan. 6 defendants didn't get “a fair shot” in court and accused Democrats of “abusing the court system."
All six members of Wisconsin's Republican delegation endorsed Schimel on Monday, including Sen. Ron Johnson who criticized Crawford for her ties to legal challenges likely to come before the court.
Crawford served as an attorney on lawsuits seeking to overturn the state's voter ID requirement and Act 10, the controversial 2011 law that upended collective bargaining rights for most state employees.
There are currently no lawsuits challenging Wisconsin's photo ID law, but the issue will be before voters on the April ballot. Voters will be asked whether to enshrine the voter ID requirement in the state constitution, a move that would make it harder for liberals to overturn the law.
Act 10 could make its way to the state's high court after teacher unions asked Justices to take the case directly. It follows a ruling from a Dane County judge who determined the law was unconstitutional.
On recusal, Crawford's campaign said she would "look at every case that comes before her on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, examine the facts and questions presented, and make a determination as to whether it’s appropriate for her to sit on that case."
When asked about recusal, Schimel said he would not hear cases "where he cannot be objective."