U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who represents part of San Antonio’s Northside in Congress, is no stranger to spewing inflammatory right-wing rhetoric. Credit: Shutterstock / Philip Yabut

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose Central Texas district includes North San Antonio, said those recently pardoned by former President Joe Biden should be tried before Congress.

“Implication is that they needed the pardons… So, let’s call them all before Congress and demand the truth,” the GOP firebrand tweeted Monday. “If they refuse or lie — let’s test the constitutional ‘reach’ of these pardons with regard to their future actions.”

Roy’s social media post was accompanied by images of retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and former Chief Medical Advisor to the President Anthony Fauci.

In a statement that’s since been removed from the White House website, Biden said the last-minute pardons — which also included U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, and other members of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection — were needed to prevent politically motived prosecution by Trump.

“These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions,” Biden’s statement said.

None of the people Biden pardoned Monday has been charged with a crime — at least, not yet.

Biden’s fears may be justified, though. On the campaign trail, Trump issued more than 100 threats to either investigate, prosecute, imprison or punish perceived political enemies, according to an NPR report.

It remains to be seen what prosecutorial revenge, if any, Trump is capable of taking against his perceived enemies. Just the same, Roy is no stranger to pandering to right-wing extremists.

In the past, the congressman has blamed “woke DEI quotas” for the assassination attempt on Trump, said he wants to “cleanse” the nation of white progressives and claimed immigrants plan to implement sharia law across the U.S.

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This article appears in Jan 8-21, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...