United States President Donald Trump has granted clemency to all those charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, marking one of his first official acts in office.
In a sweeping reversal of efforts to hold accountable those responsible for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results, Trump pardoned approximately 1,500 individuals and commuted the sentences of 14 others.
“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” Trump stated in a proclamation on the White House website.
The clemency included pardons for many convicted of serious crimes related to the Capitol attack, such as Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who had been sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. It also cleared the criminal records of over 700 individuals convicted of lesser offenses like trespassing and halted hundreds of pending prosecutions.
Among those whose sentences were commuted was Stewart Rhodes, leader of the far-right Oath Keepers, sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and obstruction of official proceedings.
When questioned about whether those who assaulted police officers should be punished, Trump expressed sympathy, stating that many had already served extended prison sentences. He compared their treatment to that of individuals convicted of murder, suggesting their time behind bars had been disproportionate.
Though Trump had pledged to pardon many January 6 defendants during his re-election campaign, it had been unclear to what extent he would follow through on extending clemency to those involved in the attack. Vice President JD Vance had previously stated that only those who “protested peacefully” should receive pardons.
“If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned,” Vance said. “And there’s a little bit of a grey area there.”
Trump’s act of clemency drew swift condemnation from Democrats and other critics of the president.
“The President’s actions are an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the 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 subvert the peaceful transfer of power.”
A total of 1,583 people were charged over the events of January 6, when a mob of Trump supporters attempted to block a joint session of the US Congress from certifying US President Joe Biden’s election victory.
Rioters injured more than 140 police officers and inflicted economic losses of about $2.8m, according to US prosecutors.
More than 1,200 people were convicted of offences, including about 250 people convicted of assault.
Of the total, more than 700 people were sentenced to prison time.
Trump himself had faced charges over his role in the January 6 riot until the US Justice Department in November dismissed the case in line with its longstanding policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
