Letters to the Editor | Jan. 24, 2025
Inquirer readers on Democrats coexisting with Donald Trump and the use of pardon powers.

No respect
Much has and will be said about Donald Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, pardons. It is entirely appropriate that people should be outraged. But what will likely go largely unmentioned is the equally outrageous, last-minute commutation of the sentence of Leonard Peltier by President Joe Biden. It is now par for the course that Biden preemptively pardoned his entire family for any federal crimes they may have committed, ever, literally on his way out the door. However, commuting the sentence of a man who murdered two FBI agents in cold blood in 1975 and is unapologetic about it to this day is the ultimate slap in the face to law enforcement and the final rose bestowed by Biden on a darling of the left. Michael Fanone, one of the Capitol Police officers who testified about the beating he survived on Jan. 6 said it best: Neither political party backs the blue in America. Neither Republicans nor Democrats can claim the moral high ground here. Biden and Trump are two sides of the same coin.
Kenneth Rayca, Cinnaminson
. . .
Donald Trump’s pardons of those convicted for their crimes on Jan. 6, 2021, are an egregious threat to the rule of law. While he was protected in the White House by the Secret Service during the insurrection he instigated, members of Congress weren’t so lucky. The U.S. Capitol was under siege, the first time since the British attacked it during the War of 1812, but this time by a mob sent by none other than the president himself. It was members of the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department who had the thankless duty to guard the building and its inhabitants, which they performed selflessly, even in the face of enormous danger. Some died, and scores were injured with no comment from the president, only “love and support” for the rioters. By giving the Jan. 6 rioters pardons, some of whom are dangerous individuals, Trump has undermined the rule of law, abused his pardon power, and effectively given the middle finger to the members of law enforcement who risked all.
J. Pelc, Newtown Square
No accountability
On Monday, we witnessed the peaceful transition of power, a cornerstone of our democracy, as a new presidency and administration were ushered in. This stands in stark contrast to the events of Jan. 6, 2021. On that dark day, those who stormed the U.S. Capitol were not patriots, and when they were held to account and detained, they were not hostages. They are seditionists and insurrectionists attempting to overturn a free and fair election through violence and chaos. The idea of granting a blanket pardon to everyone who participated in this assault on our democracy is nothing short of a disgrace. Such an action undermines the sacrifices of those who protect our freedoms and the principles upon which this nation was founded. Accountability is essential to preserving our democracy.
Sandy Berenbaum, Richboro
. . .
The president’s pardon of the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters is a greater injustice than that which it seeks to address. Was it the right to freedom of assembly when the mob forced duly elected officials off the floor of the assembly? The man with his feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk is the image that best represents the mockery of our criminal justice system. Those who pleaded guilty now regret their decision to plead guilty, not the actions themselves. Their radicalization is the same process by which other extremists are incited to violence. With these pardons, have they been restored and rehabilitated?
One Florida Proud Boy, especially proud today, must be Christopher John Worrell, who pleaded guilty to assaulting and pepper spraying a police officer. He fled just before his sentencing, was apprehended, and sentenced to 10 years. Is he excused for the crime to which he pleaded, his absconding from the law, or is he forgiven for not realizing he was just a pawn played, and to be played again? His lessons learned, and ours, is that one law can be twisted to encourage the breaking of others, and one man’s crime is another man’s heroics.
Abdul Latif Balanta, Philadelphia
Don’t give in
On the heels of the billionaire class using and abusing the mayor’s office and City Council for negotiating leverage, I thought Mayor Cherelle L. Parker would reflect on these events and find a way to not repeat her mistakes. Clearly, I was wrong. Since the mayor has no public mandate or apparently no core set of beliefs to guide her, she seems to just float from sales pitch to sales pitch. She’s all barker, no bite, and her base is quickly eroding. It’s obvious her penchant for working with others (and, as reported in The Inquirer, “coexisting” with Donald Trump) just begs for her to be leveraged without any pushback, repercussions, or rewards. It’s already happened and will happen again and again unless something changes in City Hall.
The previous mayor stood up to Trump because there was no reason to support any of Trump’s agenda, nor did Trump help Philadelphia with anything. When you look at the president’s previous administration, few benefited from working with him. Anyone who hasn’t figured this out, including Sen. John Fetterman, isn’t doing political analysis. They are not coexisting with Trump, they are obeying in advance. Just giving their power away in exchange for absolutely nothing positive. Philadelphia deserves better.
Jayson Massey, Philadelphia
Shame on us
Twenty-two states have sued to reject Donald Trump’s executive order revoking birthright citizenship. Pennsylvania, on this issue and with its new attorney general, was absent. Shame on us for three reasons beyond the need to protect society’s most vulnerable — children — usually a clarion call for conservatives. Shame on us because the 14th Amendment is unequivocal: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Shame on us because the U.S. Supreme Court settled this question more than 100 years ago in United States v. Wong Kim Ark: “The fact, therefore, that acts of Congress or treaties have not permitted Chinese persons born out of this country to become citizens by naturalization, cannot exclude Chinese persons born in this country from the operation of the broad and clear words of the Constitution, ‘All persons born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.’”
And shame on us because William Penn’s commitment was to welcoming immigrants. It is not too late for Attorney General Dave Sunday to stand up for children and the Constitution.
Jules Epstein, Philadelphia
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