Video: Republicans Block Blumenthal Proposal to Prevent Payout to Pardoned Insurrectionists who Sexually Assaulted Children

[WASHINGTON, DC] — During the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee’s consideration of the Trump Administration’s budget reconciliation package today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) offered an amendment to prevent President Donald Trump’s newly established $1.8 billion slush fund for political allies from making any payments to convicted child predators. It was blocked by Chair Rand Paul and all of the Committee’s Republican members. At least five men who were convicted of violent acts in connection with the January 6 insurrection are known to have been convicted of sexually abused children after being pardoned by Trump. “Let’s talk about just one them: Andrew Paul Johnson, who was sentenced to a year of prison for his crimes on January 6. President Trump’s pardon freed him. In March of this year, he was again sentenced to prison – this time to life in prison – for sexually abusing two middle school children in Florida. Notably, Johnson tried to keep the children quiet by saying that he’d give them millions of dollars. And where would he get this money? From the restitution he expected from the January 6 case,” Blumenthal said. “Yesterday, the President announced that he wanted to give Johnson and others like him the money that Johnson thought he was going to use to silen ce the victims of his crime.” Republicans also voted against an amendment Blumenthal put forward to block payments to rioters convicted of attacking and assaulting law enforcement officers on January 6. Video of Blumenthal speaking about this amendment is available here . The video of Blumenthal speaking about his amendment on children predators pardoned by Trump is available here and a transcript is copied below. Yesterday, we learned that President Trump has formalized a plan to create a slush fund of $1.8 billion in taxpayer money to so-called “victims of government weaponization.” This fund would allow, among other things, January 6 rioters – the same people convicted of attacking the Capitol and law enforcement officers defending it – to get payments from the government. I’m aware of at least five who should be barred from receiving that money. These five J-6 pardonees have been convicted of sex crimes against children – sex crimes against children , sex abuse of minors , possession of CSAM and the like. That’s occurred all since they were pardoned by the President. Let’s talk about just one them: Andrew Paul Johnson, who was sentenced to a year of prison for his crimes on January 6. President Trump’s pardon freed him. In March of this year, he was again sentenced to prison – this time to life in prison – for sexually abusing two middle school children in Florida. Notably, Johnson tried to keep the children quiet by saying that he’d give them millions of dollars. And where would he get this money? From the restitution he expected from the January 6 case. Yesterday, the President announced that he wanted to give Johnson and others like him the money that Johnson thought he was going to use to silence the victims of his crime. This vote ought to be easy for my colleagues. -30-