Washington (AP) Using his broad clemency powers on his first day back in office, President Donald Trump announced Monday that he was pardoning roughly 1,500 of his supporters who have been charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, ending the largest investigation and prosecution in Justice Department history.
Following Trump’s years-long effort to alter the events of the Jan. 6 attack, which injured over 100 police officers and jeopardized a peaceful handover of power, the pardons were anticipated. The Justice Department’s efforts to bring those involved accountable for what has been called one of the darkest days in American history have been severely hampered by the clemency’s scope.
In an effort to maintain his hold on power following his defeat in the 2020 election, Trump also shortened the prison terms of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders found guilty of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors characterized as schemes.
In the weeks before his return to the White House, Trump had indicated that he would consider each of the defendants from January 6 individually. Just a few days ago, Vice President JD Vance stated that it was clear that those who were responsible for the Capitol riot’s savagery should not be given a pass.
Trump has accused the Justice Department of treating the rioters unfairly and charged him with federal crimes in two cases that he claims were politically motivated, while also portraying the rioters as patriots and hostages.
The pardons follow weeks after the Justice Department’s stance of prosecuting sitting presidents led to the dismissal of Trump’s own case on January 6. Trump might have been put on trial in the same federal courthouse overlooking the Capitol where Jan. 6 cases have been heard for the past four years if he had lost the 2024 election.
In the disturbance, about 1,200 people have been found guilty, including about 250 who were found guilty of assault.
Misdemeanor trespassing charges were brought against hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants who did not participate in any of the violence and devastation; many of them received little to no jail time.
However, there is ample video, eyewitness, and other proof of the violence that day, which shows rioters, some with bats, poles, and bear spray, assaulting the Capitol, swiftly overrunning overpowered police, smashing windows, and driving politicians and staffers into cover.
Police officers were battered after being pulled into the mob. A rioter repeatedly shocked a cop with a stun gun, causing him to have a heart attack, and another officer yelled in agony as he was crushed in a doorframe. As members of the mob threw insults and profanities at them, officers have testified that they were afraid for their lives.
About 250 of the more than 1,500 defendants have been found guilty of crimes by a jury or judge following a trial. Following bench trials, judges cleared only two defendants of all charges. No defendant in a Capitol riot has ever been found not guilty by a jury. As of January 1, at least 1,020 had entered guilty pleas.
Over 700 of the more than 1,000 rioters who have already received sentences have spent at least some time in prison. Probation, community service, home detention, or penalties were imposed on the remaining individuals.
By Associated Press reporters Michael Kunzelman and Alanna Durkin Richer.
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