U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a clemency order granting pardons to all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot and issuing sentence commutations to 14 others.
The Trump supporters began leaving prison on Tuesday after he used his clemency powers on his first day back in office to undo the massive prosecution of the unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy.
Trump’s pardon of the U.S. Capitol riot defendants drew outrage from lawmakers who were endangered and for some of the 140 police officers injured in the attack four years ago, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
“I have been betrayed by my country,” Michael Fanone, a former officer with Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department who suffered severe injuries during the riot, told CNN on Monday after Trump’s announcement. “Tonight, six individuals who assaulted me as I did my job on Jan. 6, as did hundreds of other law enforcement officers, will now walk free.”
Trump’s clemency extended from the people who committed only misdemeanours such as trespassing to those who assaulted police officers and the far smaller group who planned the assault on democracy.
Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers militia who had his 18-year prison sentence commuted, was released shortly after midnight on Tuesday in Cumberland, Md. Rhodes got into a waiting car and was driven away in the early morning hours.
Rhodes, who wears an eye patch after an accident with a gun, did not enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, but he was found guilty of plotting to use force against Congress to prevent the election certification. The judge agreed with the Justice Department that Rhodes’ actions should be punished as “terrorism,” which increases the recommended sentence under federal guidelines.
He was also accused of helping to stockpile firearms at a hotel in nearby Virginia that could be ferried across the river to Washington, D.C.
Rhodes was one of the 14 leaders of the Jan. 6 riots Trump released from prison early, commuting their sentences without fully pardoning them. This means that they will continue to face some restrictions, including a ban on owning firearms. He will have spent just over three years in custody after his January 2022 arrest.
Several of Rhodes’ Oath Keepers associates have been in custody several months longer after being arrested in 2021. The list included Kelly Meggs, a Florida chapter leader of the Oath Keepers who received a 12-year prison term. Connie Meggs, his wife, was pardoned for her role in the Capitol attack.
Oath Keepers associates Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell received commutations.
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Watkins, a transgender woman who, during the trial, spoke openly about the struggles she faced with her identity while serving in the military, was sentenced to 8.5 years, while Harrelson received four years. Caldwell, who was never officially a member of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced earlier this month to time served on a single count of tampering with evidence.
Oath Keepers Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Joseph Hackett and David Moerschel also had sentences of between three and four-and-a-half years in prison commuted.
Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the Proud Boys, is expected to be released on Tuesday, according to his family. He is expected to arrive at Miami International Airport on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m.
“We Thank You For Being With Us, The Golden Era Has Arrived,” his family said in a statement.
Tarrio’s lawyer, Nayib Hassan, also released a statement, which read, “This marks a pivotal moment in our client’s life, and it symbolizes a turning point for our nation. We are optimistic for the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, embracing new possibilities and opportunities.”
Tarrio was not present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, but he was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in planning the attack. He received a 22-year sentence in May 2023, the longest among more than 1,100 Capitol riot cases, for orchestrating his far-right extremist group’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean (18-year prison sentence), Joseph Biggs (17 years), Zachary Real (15 years), Dominic Pezzola (10 years) and Jeremey Bertino (three years) were also among those receiving commutations.
Trump further directed the U.S. attorney general to drop all pending cases related to the riot.
“These people have been destroyed,” Trump said shortly after returning to the Oval Office for the first time since the end of last year. “What they’ve done to these people is outrageous.”
More than 1,000 people pleaded guilty to federal charges, including 327 who admitted to felonies and 682 who committed misdemeanour offences. A further 221 were found guilty following a trial, according to U.S. Justice Department figures.
Some 667 defendants were sent to prison, according to the data.
Among those pardoned was David Dempsey, who received a 20-year prison sentence and has been in custody since August 2021.
Dempsey stomped on police officers’ heads, swung poles at officers defending a tunnel, struck an officer in the head with a metal crutch and attacked police with pepper spray and broken pieces of furniture, prosecutors said. He was also convicted of assault at a 2019 rally.
Trump also faced criminal charges over his efforts to undo his 2020 election loss, a case that sought to hold him responsible for the violence at the Capitol. The charges were dropped after he won the Nov. 5, 2024 election.
In January 2022, Trump mentioned the prospect of pardons for supporters who participated in the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol if he returned to the White House.
“If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6th fairly,” Trump said during a rally in Conroe, Texas. “And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly.”
During his first presidency, Trump used his pardon power to pardon or commute the sentences of numerous political allies, friends and associates, including his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon; his former campaign chair, Paul Manafort; his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn; and a longtime friend and political ally, Roger Stone.
—With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
