By Kaitlan Collins, CNN

(CNN) — Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon virtually every convicted rioter at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those who beat up members of law enforcement.

Without mentioning him by name, Kemp condemned Trump’s broad pardons while also taking a swipe at former President Joe Biden over his last-minute reprieves for his family.

“Anyone who harms a law enforcement officer should be held fully accountable for their actions, and presidents should not issue blanket, preemptive pardons for their family members in the final minutes of their tenure,” Kemp said in a statement to CNN Friday.

Kemp was present at the Capitol alongside other governors for Trump’s inaugural address Monday. He told CNN after the speech that he believed Biden had set an “interesting precedent” by preemptively pardoning several people. But he declined to say then whether Trump pardoning those who assaulted law enforcement would be a step too far.

“I don’t want to speak to specific pardons not knowing any details,” Kemp said. “We can talk about that after he actually does something.”

Hours later, Trump pardoned more than 1,200 people for January 6-related crimes, including those convicted of bludgeoning and chemical spraying officers. He also commuted the sentences of 14 extremists in the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers who were charged with seditious conspiracy.

The Georgia governor joins a handful of Republicans who have expressed disappointment over the pardons. Some GOP senators pushed back against Trump’s decision earlier this week. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski told CNN on Tuesday that she was “disappointed,” while North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said the move “raises a legitimate safety issue on Capitol Hill.”

Trump and Kemp have occasionally been at odds since the governor refused to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. After he narrowly lost the battleground state four years ago, Trump attempted to thwart the Kemp’s reelection efforts by recruiting a challenger in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. Kemp was reelected anyway.

Still, in October, Kemp appeared alongside the president for the first time since before the 2020 election. Trump praised the governor for his response and recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene. A month later, Kemp congratulated Trump on his reelection victory.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Morgan Rimmer and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.