WhenDonald Trump all but promised to pardon everyone involved in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol at a Texas rally Saturday night if he gets re-elected he wasn’t pulling the idea out of thin air. In fact, as President, Donald Trump repeatedly investigated the idea, including discussing issuing a pre-emptive blanket pardon for what are now nearly 800 people who so far have been charged, so they “would never have to testify or be deposed.”

“Do you think I should pardon them? Do you think it’s a good idea? Do you think I have the power to do it?” Trump reportedly asked one adviser several times during his final weeks in the White House, Politico reports.

Another adviser also discussed the blanket pardon idea with Trump:

“Is it everybody that had a Trump sign or everybody who walked into the Capitol” who could be pardoned? Trump asked, according to that adviser. “He said, ‘Some people think I should pardon them.’ He thought if he could do it, these people would never have to testify or be deposed.”

On Saturday in Texas Trump told supporters, “If I run and I win, we will treat those people from January 6 fairly.”

And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons, because they are being treated so unfairly,” he claimed, falsely.

Trump doubled down this week on Newsmax, saying if re-elected he would “absolutely” pardon them.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet