A Table Talk on Crime, Punishment, and Pardons

President Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of nearly 1,600 people who committed “certain offenses” at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. As these folks return to their homes, how do their communities respond to them? This table talk was inspired by a story of one such J6 defendant in the New York Times.

Learn more:

News stories that inspired today’s show:

Pardoned for January 6, She Came Home to a New Reality: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/nyregion/jan-6-capitol-pardon.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zU4.-MQ9.AiB_aYF8KsAL&smid=url-share

Presidential Actions: Granting Pardons and Commutation of Sentences for Certain Offenses Relating to the Events at or Near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/granting-pardons-and-commutation-of-sentences-for-certain-offenses-relating-to-the-events-at-or-near-the-united-states-capitol-on-january-6-2021/

Presidential Pardons Under Article II (of the U.S. Constitution): https://constitution.findlaw.com/article2/presidential-pardons-under-article-ii.html

A presidential pardon (forgiveness) does not expunge (erase) a person’s conviction. https://www.justice.gov/pardon/frequently-asked-questions

Expungement and pardoning are two separate processes. https://www.koffellaw.com/blog/little-known-facts-about-expungement/3574

How We Check Ourselves

Fact Checking: Because there are a lot of things happening…some true, some false, some unbelievable…we use the following fact checking sites. Take a look for yourself:

• Snopes - https://www.snopes.com/

• FactCheck.org - https://www.factcheck.org/

• Politifact - https://www.politifact.com/

• RealClearPolitics - https://www.realclearpolitics.com/

Media Bias: Because media can have its own biases, we also rely upon these sites to help us get balanced coverage:

• Media Bias/Fact Check - https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/

• All Sides - https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news

• Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart - https://app.adfontesmedia.com/chart/interactive

Want to watch us do the podcast?

Visit the Klaus Haus Productions YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@KlausHausProductions.

Meet Lamar and Tom

Lamar Roth and Tom Klaus are lifelong friends exploring how to get to a 3rd Space - a space where two or more people with opposing viewpoints, ideologies, and worldviews can come together to hear, listen, share, and connect with one another. Together Lamar and Tom hope to carve out a 3rd Space where everything can be on the table for open, straightforward, honest, and, yet kind and respectful inquiry.

To contact us, send us a voice message on Spotify or email us at lamar3rdSpace@gmail.com and tom3rdSpace@gmail.com.

Comments? Suggestions? Ideas for guests or topics?

Please email us at tom3rdSpace@gmail.com or lamar3rdSpace@gmail.com.

Credits

Wild Opinions and Nonsensical Musings by Lamar Roth & Tom Klaus Images by Getty Images, Pexels, Pixabay, Roth Images, and Cyberlink AI.

Photos by Lamar Roth are copyrighted by Roth Images, all rights reserved. For more information, visit https://www.rothimages.com/. For permissions or additional information: lamar3rdSpace@gmail.com.

Getting to 3rd Space with Lamar and Tom is produced and sponsored by Klaus Haus Productions LLC and Acorn Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

For permissions or additional Information contact hello@klaushausllc.com.

No living creature was harmed in the production of this film, but a lot of Colombian coffee was consumed.

Original Publishing Date: March 17, 2025