WASHINGTON — I never thought that my column this week would be about anything other than the Inauguration of America’s 47th president, Donald J. Trump, and his visionary quest to bring America into a Golden Age. But then we had the pardons. They were all historic in nature.

I served in Congress with then-Senator Joe Biden in the 1990s. At that time, he was a very effective and respected member of that institution. And one could say I have written columns that have helped Trump during the election season. I am tired of talking about Biden and I am most hopeful for a second Trump presidency as his success translates into America’s success, or it should.

But I am disappointed and surprised by both presidents. In both instances, I saw their actions coming but I held out hope that both men would think twice.

I cannot support or be happy with any person who has attacked a police officer only to get a pardon or have their sentence commuted. However, the vast majority (over 1,000) of those pardoned by Trump do not fall into that category and I applaud that.

Now, let’s back up for a minute. I do not question the election results. I recognized that Biden was elected president. Heck, my congressional opponent’s brother was arrested on 11 counts of cheating/fraud against me, but I never questioned the election results when I lost (he pled guilty, but was given a mere slap on the wrist). But I have always been very suspicious of the whole January 6 episode.

The liberal media is quick to proclaim that conservative Republicans are fixated on “conspiracy theories.” Well, Democratic actions and Biden’s pardons cannot help but cause you to wonder if there are not alternative realities. Innocent people do not need pardons.

I believe that Democrats are brilliant actors. No, not just on the “silver screen,” some take it beyond. Do you remember during the 2000 presidential election season when Biden and Kamala Harris quickly came out in support of actor Jussie Smollett and his claim that MAGA people beat him and hung a noose around his neck? All of that was a lie, as proven when it became known that Smollett “staged” his own beating and crime scene per the testimony of the folks who “committed” the crime. It turned out that Smollett paid them to participate. It was all an act to make Trump look bad.

After all, to add to the Democrats’ acting credentials will we ever know who was truly pulling the strings in the White House as Biden’s mental acumen was even challenged by some of his fellow Democrats as well as by most of the general public. He was “acting” as our president, however.

So, for me, as a former member of Congress I know that the building along with the Pentagon and White House would rank as the most secure buildings in the world when protected properly. In the spirit of the Smollett incident, that Democrats were quick to chastise Trump and all MAGA people, I have serious reservations.

Here is another test: Get about 2,000 of your best friends and without having a permit to march, try to march a couple of miles down the streets of Manhattan, Los Angeles, Chicago, or any other city and see if you are not stopped. And all those cities, even after giving you a marching permit, would have a very large number of law enforcement officers observing your march.

Not to mention that the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who was the main person responsible for protecting the legislative branch of the government’s building – the Capitol – (and to a lesser degree, the Senate Leader) was given numerous warnings and information from our top security/intelligence agencies. Obviously, for some reason, she did not heed their warnings.

Just days before his departure from office, Biden gave pardons to Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley and the January 6 investigative gang. Something smells here. In the years ahead, maybe at least one of these folks will write a book or produce a movie series on the January 6th event so we can truly learn why Biden pardoned them.

During his last minutes as president, Biden issued pardons to his closest family members (excluding Jill Biden) for crimes that Biden has not referenced. Do these actions codify some of the conspiracy theories and rumors? At least with Hunter Biden, we knew part of the reason for the pardon since he had been arrested and convicted, but pardons for Biden’s brother, sister, and their spouses? Come on, Mr. Biden.

This all takes “white privilege” to a whole new level. And it begs the question, would any Black or Brown person be given a blanket pardon for events that occurred over many years to a decade? For that matter, would the average white person be given this benefit? Only the statutes of limitation absolve Americans from infringement of the rules and this is applied fairly for all Americans.

Despite the return of Trump as the 47 th president, for me Inauguration Day was overshadowed by the pardons. I personally can care less about the past. I am most concerned about our future. I want Trump to work 24/7 toward bringing America into a Golden Age as he promised.

And Congress should work 24/7 on coming up with more tax revenue. Raising taxes is off the table and spending cuts have their limits. Solution? Improve our workforce participation rate. That would result in the much-needed increase in tax revenue.

We must stop having annual budget deficits and rapid increases in our national debt. Both are simply not sustainable.

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Gary Franks served three terms as a congressman from Connecticut’s 5th District. He was the first Black conservative elected to Congress and first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years. Host: Podcast “We Speak Frankly” www.garyfranksphilanthropy.org