ABC, CBS, NBC Each Press Marco Rubio Twice About Trump's January 6 Pardons

Tim Graham
January 21st, 2025 4:50 PM

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Newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the rounds of the ABC, CBS, and NBC morning shows on Tuesday, and they all marched in lockstep, like they received an instruction packet. All three asked about President Trump's broad pardons for January 6 defendants, and they all followed up after he insisted he came to discuss foreign policy.

On ABC's Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos launched: "Let's begin with January, the January 6th pardons. Back when this happened, you called it a national embarrassment, saying, 'We now have Third World countries that are lecturing us, and we have tinpot dictators that are mocking us.' Of course, you’re now America’s top diplomat, you’ll be speaking with your counterparts around the world. What message does that pardon send to them?"

Rubio replied: "Well, I don't anticipate a single one of our partners will ask about it."

Stephanopoulos repeated: "But as a senator you did say that it affected our standing in the world. You don't believe that any more?"

On CBS Mornings, co-host Gayle King at least began with a question about how Rubio felt about being the first Latino to be Secretary of State before launching into the obligatory January 6 questions: 

KING: Let's start with -- I really want to start with those January 6th pardons because many people believe -- including the American people -- were not in favor of these blanket pardons. You know, Team Trump had been saying, these are going to be taken on a case-by-case basis. That did not appear to be the case. It appears blanket pardons. What message do you think that sends to people around the world about what we stand for?….

I hear you, but in February, 2021, even you issued a statement, and you said, the images in -- images of the attacks stirred up anger of you -- anger in you, the nation was embarrassed in the eyes of the world by our own citizens. How do you personally reconcile those feelings with the pardons that he did yesterday? I understand you have work to do and the job is hard, there are many things... but on this particular issue, I'm curious about what you're thinking.

On NBC's Today, new co-host Craig Melvin took on Rubio in the first half hour:

MELVIN: I recall that you said, shortly after the attack on the Capitol, where you were that day, that it was one of the saddest days in American history. Then you went on to say this, Mr. Secretary --

RUBIO (on video 1/6/2021): My entire life with and alongside people who came to America fleeing countries plagued by political violence and by chaos. Today America looked like the countries that they came here to get away from. Vladimir Putin loved everything that happened today because what happened is better than anything he could have ever come up to make us look like we're falling apart.

MELVIN: Mr. Secretary, what message does this pardoning, nearly all of them, send to the rest of the world?

After Rubio demurred, Melvin followed up: "I want to talk about foreign policy in just a moment, but really quickly, I mean -- who’s to say that if a crowd of folks who were displeased with something that happens at the Capitol in the future -- well, who’s to say that they don't just do it again?"

Rubio called the questions "unfortunate," that he came on to discuss foreign policy, so if they wanted to revisit January 6, "it's not going to happen."

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