Secretary of State Marco Rubio got into a heated debate with NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday after one of the network’s hosts repeatedly asked him about President Trump’s Jan. 6 blanket pardon.
After a brief introduction, NBC immediately played a clip from 2021 in which Rubio denounces the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
“Vladimir Putin liked everything that happened here today because what happened is better than anything he could think of to make it look like we’re falling apart,” he said at the time.
After the video ended, NBC anchor Craig Melvin asked Rubio what message the pardons were sending to the rest of the world.
NBC’s ‘Today’ host Craig Melvin repeatedly asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio about President Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon. (NBC/Screengrab)
Rubio responded that he would not “engage in domestic political debates.” to the media and he could not in his role as head of the State Department.
“I hope you all understand that my days—at least the time I’ve spent at the State Department dealing with domestic policy—will be on the sidelines as I focus on the jobs the United States has around the world and the engagements we must have to make our country safer, stronger. and a more advanced place,” he added later.
Melvin pressed Rubio again about the pardon — questioning whether Trump’s decision would budge now acquitted defendants an incentive to encourage a future attack.
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Marco Rubio is sworn in as Secretary of State by US Vice President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, US on January 21, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
“I think it’s unfortunate, you know, our first engagement because I agreed to come with you this morning. I’m going to work on foreign policy issues, and you want to revisit these issues that are going on in domestic policy. I just—that’s not going to happen,” he said. is Rubio. “If you have questions for me about foreign policy and engagement in the world, I’d be happy to discuss them with you.”
Rubio similarly emphasized his “individual” focus on foreign policy when asked about the pardon on “CBS Mornings” and ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
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Marco Rubio speaks after being sworn in as Secretary of State by US Vice President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, US on January 21, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Trump pardoned almost all the defendants on January 6 on Monday night after promising at his inaugural parade to sign an executive order on the issue.
Sitting at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, Trump signed the release of more than 1,500 people accused of crimes stemming from the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The order requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons to act immediately upon receiving the pardon.
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Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
