Republican Michael Whatley continued to defend President Donald Trump’s pardons of January 6 insurrectionists, even after it was discovered that some of those individuals had been charged with sex crimes.

Trump issued a blanket pardon to everyone who participated in the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, despite initially promising to pardon only nonviolent offenders. NPR later reported that dozens of those rioters had prior convictions or pending charges, including for rape and the sexual abuse of minors.

Whatley, who is a candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, was asked during a February meet-and-greet whether he still supported Trump’s pardons. Whatley said, “Yeah,” and described the prosecutions as “malicious.”

NPR identified one of the pardoned rioters as David Daniel of Mint Hill, N.C., who was previously charged with producing sexually explicit material featuring a minor under the age of 12. Daniel argued that Trump’s pardon applied to this offense as well. A judge disagreed and he ultimately pleaded guilty to the offense.

Others were charged with sex crimes after the pardons were issued.

Andrew Paul Johnson of Florida received a life sentence in March for molesting a child under 12 and another under 16. He told one of his victims that he expected a settlement from the federal government related to the pardon and offered to share it with the victim if they stayed quiet.

Johnson may have gotten this idea from Trump himself, who tried to create a slush fund to pay victims of so-called “government weaponization,” which would presumably include the pardoned rioters.

Whatley said he supported the fund, which is currently being blocked by a federal judge.

Whatley’s tolerance of this behavior risks drawing attention to another scandal. From 2019 to 2024, he served as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. During that time, he appointed Harvey West to two party committees, according to a March report by the Asheville Watchdog, despite West having pleaded guilty in 2000 to taking indecent liberties with a minor.

Trump has endorsed Whatley’s campaign. Whatley will face former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in the general election.