President Donald Trump, who ignored the sound advice of his strongest and closest allies not to pardon the cop-assaulting felons of Jan. 6, should have his wild instincts curbed by the Republican Senate in saying no to the worst of his Cabinet nominees.

We are looking at you, Pete Hegetsh for defense and Bobby Kennedy Jr. for health and human services and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Kash Patel for FBI director. None of them are at all qualified for the positions Trump tapped them for and he can do much better with replacement picks for each job.

Just two days in office and Trump needs a tangible reminder that there are standards and norms (even for him) and giving Get Out of Jail Free cards to hundreds of convicted violent criminals is not acceptable and there will be repercussions.

Of course, this is only our prescription and we aren’t betting that Senate Republicans will take the necessary medicine. If they did, it would be helpful both to Trump and themselves (and mostly to the country).

As to Trump’s offense, springing the thugs who pummeled the vastly outnumbered police officers defending the Congress on Jan. 6, a who’s who of top MAGA loyalists said Trump should stay away from clemency from the violent criminals who used flag poles and pipes and hands and feet to bust up D.C. cops and Capitol police officers.

JD Vance on Jan. 12, eight days before he became vice president, said on Fox News: “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.”

Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, told the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing last week: “If confirmed and if asked to advise the president, I will look at each and every file. But let me be very clear in speaking to you, I condemn any violence on a law enforcement officer in this country.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday: “I think what the president said and Vice President-elect JD Vance has said is that peaceful protesters should be pardoned, but violent criminals should not.”

The next day, a few hours after being sworn in, Trump issued blanket pardons to most of the 1,500-plus rioters and commuted the prison sentences of 14 others, freeing them immediately. Released from the lock-up were all the cop-beaters, who had their criminal records wiped clean, as well as those such as Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Proud Boys boss Enrique Tarrio, both convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Committing violence, that Vance counseled against, wasn’t a problem for Trump and there was no case by case review, as Bondi suggested.

When questioned by the press on Tuesday, that “Aren’t you sending the message that assaulting officers is OK with these pardons?” the president replied: “No, the opposite…I am the friend of police more than any president that has ever been in this office.”

Trump needs to get back to reality and rejecting his worst nominees is a good way to splash some cold water on his face. He will be angry for sure, but what’s the worst he will do? Send a mob led by the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys to attack the Senate?

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