During the last presidential transfer of power, on January 6, 2021, President Donald Trump took the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., where a mob of his supporters rampaged.
Hours after taking the oath of office on Monday, President Trump pardoned nearly 1,500 of those supporters, overturning the largest prosecution in U.S. Justice Department history.
He was caught on camera violently attacking police as well as the leader of a far-right group who was convicted of orchestrating a violent plot to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after President Trump’s defeat in 2020. He released people from prison with the stroke of a pen.
Let’s take a look back at who was pardoned by President Trump on January 6th and this week.
What happened on January 6, 2021?
Thousands of people stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election results, spurred by President Trump’s false claims that the election was “rigged” against him. It was.
Shortly before the riot, Republican incumbents held a rally in Washington, D.C., slamming the election results and calling on their supporters to “fight like hell.”
More than 2,000 people entered the Capitol building, smashing windows, ransacking offices, defecating in public, and searching members of Congress.
Although the attack ultimately failed, it raised alarms about the stability of American democracy and the growing influence of anti-democratic elements within the Republican Party.
Approximately 1,500 people were arrested for their involvement in the Capitol attack and sentenced to prison in the years that followed.
A U.S. Congressional committee released a nearly 850-page report in December 2022 following an 18-month investigation after recommending criminal charges against Trump himself for his involvement in the attack.
“The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, and many others followed his lead. None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him. Deaf,” the committee said.
Who did President Trump pardon?
All but a few people jailed in connection with the January 6 riot have been granted “full, complete and unconditional pardons,” according to a statement signed by President Trump.
“I further direct the Attorney General to seek dismissal with prejudice to the government of all pending charges against individuals related to the events at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. ” he said.
The most prominent people jailed for their actions on January 6, 2021, include key members of the right-wing groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison in September 2023 for his involvement in the riot, was among those pardoned. His prison term was the longest ever handed down in connection with the attack. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly called Tarrio the “ultimate leader” of the January 6 conspiracy.
Another person pardoned for the riot was Jake Angeli Chansley, known by his horned headdress as the QAnon Shaman, who was sentenced to 41 months in prison. He tried to tell X the news. “I received the news from my lawyer…I have been granted a pardon!” he declared. “I love this country!!!” God bless America!!!”
Those pardoned include more than 300 people who have pleaded guilty to assault and obstruction of law enforcement, including assaulting police with a dangerous or deadly weapon.69 It also included people.
Nearly 300 rioters had ties to 46 far-right groups and movements, according to a study by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Terrorism Responses, a University of Maryland-based network of academics that tracks and analyzes such violent incidents. It is said that there was.
Much of the attack was captured on surveillance and body camera footage, which showed rioters engaging in hand-to-hand combat with police as officers struggled to push back the angry crowd.
Who has not received a full pardon?
In a statement posted on the White House website, President Trump released, but did not fully pardon, 14 leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who were serving long prison sentences. . Their convictions remain on their records.
Those who received only a reduced sentence are as follows:
Stewart Rhodes: Founder of the Oath Keepers, convicted of seditious conspiracy to organize armed members to storm the Capitol Kelly Meggs: Leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers, also convicted of seditious conspiracy was convicted of Kenneth Harrelson: Oath Keepers member found guilty of “obstruction of public office, conspiracy to impede official performance, and misconduct” Thomas Caldwell: Oath Keepers associate who planned riot US Navy veteran convicted of aiding and abetting seditious conspiracy Jessica Watkins: Oath Keepers member and veteran convicted of organizing and leading the group Roberto Minuta: Oath Keepers member sentenced to 36 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for seditious conspiracy and other charges Edward Vallejo: associated with but not a member of the Oath Keepers, sentenced to 36 months in prison for seditious conspiracy, followed by 36 months of supervised release. David Merschel: Oath Keepers member sentenced to 36 months in prison, several months of supervised release for seditious conspiracy and other charges Joseph Hackett: Oath Keepers member sentenced to 36 months in prison for seditious conspiracy and several months of supervised release 42 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release Ethan Nordeen: A prominent member of the Proud Boys, known as the group’s “General,” was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 36 months of supervised release for multiple felonies. Joseph Biggs: Proud Boys organizer sentenced to 17 years in prison and 36 months of supervised release for seditious conspiracy and other charges Zachary Lehr: Former Proud Boys chapter leader sentenced to seditious conspiracy for leading the group’s actions Dominic Pezzola was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison and 36 months of supervised release. Windows, a member of the Proud Boys known for using a stolen police riot shield to destroy the Capitol, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 36 months of supervised release Jeremy Bertino: Former man who pleaded guilty Proud Boys members engaged in seditious conspiracy and cooperated with law enforcement authorities
What was your reaction to President Trump’s pardon?
As with all things Trump-related, much of the reaction to his pardons fell along party lines.
A White House statement announcing the pardon said the action “ends the grave national injustices inflicted on the American people over the past four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.”
President Trump defended the pardon on Tuesday, saying the defendants had “already served years in prison” in conditions the president described as “disgusting” and “inhumane.”
Many Trump supporters praised the pardon in right-wing online forums. Some threatened those who supported the prosecution.
At least 20 people on the pro-Trump website Patriots.Win expressed hope for the execution of Democrats, judges, and law enforcement involved in the January 6th incident. They called for jurists and police to be hanged, “beaten to death”, “smashed in wood chippers” and “thrown from helicopters”.
“Get the entire federal judiciary in the stadium. Then let them listen and watch until the judge is bludgeoned to death,” one person wrote. “Their heads will be cut off and placed on a pike outside,” the Justice Department said.
Several experts said the cancellation for rioters who committed both violent and nonviolent crimes, including assaults on police officers and seditious conspiracy, was a violation of the Proud Boys and white supremacists who have openly called for political violence. He said it was likely to embolden other far-right groups.
“They’re going to feel like they can do whatever they want,” Julie Farnham, who served as the assistant director of intelligence at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, says of far-right groups.
“They will feel they can because there is no leader in the United States who is going to stop it,” said Farnham, who now runs a private investigation agency.
Two police officers who were assaulted while trying to control the crowd said the pardons were a chilling sign that loyalty to President Trump is now more important than the rule of law.
“It’s outrageous,” former Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department police officer Michael Fanone told Reuters. Fanone suffered a heart attack and brain damage when he was beaten, sprayed with a chemical irritant and shocked with a stun gun during the Jan. 6 violence.
Fanone, 44, who worked as a police officer for 20 years, said a pardon would encourage other supporters to commit violence “because they believe Donald Trump will give them a pardon.” spoke. And why don’t they believe it? ”
What do pardoned prisoners say?
After being released from federal custody on Tuesday, Mr. Rose and the other Jan. 6 defendants gathered outside the District of Columbia Jail in frigid temperatures, and several defendants remained inside the prison. Some supporters of the Capitol riot danced as songs such as Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak” were played over loudspeakers.
Rose continued to press false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and claimed defendants in the Capitol riot were denied a fair trial in Washington, D.C. Rose said he had “totally believed” all along that President Trump would pardon the January 6 defendants.
Angeli Chansley celebrated her pardon on social media platform X, saying, “Thank you, President Trump!”
Kevin Loftus was sentenced to six months in prison in December for violating the terms of his probation after attempting to fly overseas to join the Russian military and fight against Ukraine. He said he intends to receive a pardon from President Trump.
“I’m just a worker, dude. People like us don’t get presidential pardons,” he said.