Trump granted pardon to all the accused in the January 6 US Capitol attack. political news
The US president ended a years-long effort to punish those responsible for trying to overturn the 2020 election.
United States President Donald Trump has granted pardon to all those accused in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in one of his first official acts in the Oval Office.
Trump on Monday pardoned nearly 1,500 of his supporters and commuted the sentences of 14 others, summing up a years-long campaign to punish those responsible for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 US election. .
“This proclamation ends the grave national injustice inflicted on the American people over the past four years and begins the process of national reconciliation,” Trump said in a proclamation posted on the White House website.
Trump’s pardon wiped the slate clean for many of those convicted of committing the most serious crimes on January 6, including Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. Was narrated.
The pardon also expunged the criminal records of more than 700 people convicted of misdemeanors such as trespassing and put a stay on more than 400 pending cases.
Among the most high-profile figures to have their sentences commuted was far-right Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents and proceedings.
As he signed the pardons and commutations, Trump said that those convicted of crimes had already been in prison “for a long time.”
“I have seen that murderers in this country get two years, one year and maybe no time. So he has already been in jail for a long time. These people are destroyed,” he said. “What they’ve done to these people is outrageous.”
While Trump promised to pardon several defendants on January 6 during his re-election campaign, it was unclear how far he would go to grant clemency to those who participated in the attack.
In an interview with Fox News last week, Vice President J.D. Vance said that only those who “peacefully” protested on January 6 should receive pardons.
“If you committed violence that day, obviously you should not be forgiven,” Vance said. “And there’s a little gray area there.”
Trump’s act of clemency was sharply condemned by Democrats and other critics of the president.
“The President’s actions are a blatant insult to our justice system and the heroes who endured physical wounds and emotional trauma defending the Capitol, Congress, and the Constitution,” former Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a post on X.
“It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to thwart the peaceful transfer of power.”
A total of 1,583 people were charged over the January 6 attacks, when a mob of Trump supporters attempted to prevent a joint session of the US Congress from certifying US President Joe Biden’s election victory.
According to US prosecutors, the rioters injured more than 140 police officers and caused approximately $2.8 million in economic damage.
More than 1,200 people were convicted of crimes, including about 250 for assault.
In total, more than 700 people were sentenced to prison.
Trump himself faced charges for his role in the January 6 riot until the U.S. Justice Department dismissed the case in November, in line with its longstanding policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
