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US President Donald Trump stands after delivering remarks on AI infrastructure at the Roosevelt room at White House in Washington, US, January 21, 2025. — Reuters
#Trumps #pardons #Capitol #rioters #spark #contrasting #reactions
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s pardon of the Capitol rioters drew mixed reactions on Tuesday, embraced by his Republican supporters and sharply condemned by Democrats.
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the “shameful” Trump pardon of participants in the January 6, 2021 attack on the congressional session held to confirm Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
“The president’s actions are an outrageous affront to our justice system and to the heroes who suffered physical injuries and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, Congress and the Constitution,” Pelosi said.
Michael Fanon, a former Washington police officer who was repeatedly tasered and badly beaten by pro-Trump mob members, said he had been “betrayed by my country.”
“And I have been betrayed by the people who supported Donald Trump,” Fanon told CNN. “Republican Party Leader Pardons Hundreds of Violent Police Attackers. The Six Who Attacked Me While Doing Their Job on Jan. 6 … Now They Go Free.”
But on January 6, the defendants and their Republican supporters welcomed the pardons.
Jacob Chanceley, the “QAnon Shaman” who became one of the faces of the Capitol riots thanks to his red, white and blue face paint, bare chest and unusual horned headdress, apologized in a post on X. introduced
“I got a pardon baby! Thanks President Trump!!!” Chansley said. “The J6ers are on the loose and justice has come…”
“God bless President Trump!!!” said far-right Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Green.
“It’s finally over. The J6’ers are releasing,” Green said on X. “Never forget what the Democrats did.”
‘bad idea’
Trump, hours after being sworn in on Monday, pardoned more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol, including those convicted of assaulting police officers.
He described them as “hostages” and ordered that all criminal cases pending against the capital riot defendants be dismissed.
Not all Republican lawmakers were as enthusiastic about blanket amnesty as Green.
Sen. Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, told Spectrum News that anyone who “has been convicted of assaulting a police officer — I can’t get there at all. I think it was a bad idea.”
Other Republicans who have advised against pardoning criminals who attack police officers have been silent, including Vice President J.D. Vance, who told Fox News just a week ago that “if you committed violence that day If so, obviously you should not be forgiven.”
At a press conference late Tuesday, Trump said “sure” when asked by a reporter if he would agree that “assaulting police officers is never acceptable.”
But when the reporter pressed further, citing examples, Trump said “we’ll take a look at everything,” before arguing that the US justice system preferred to charge political opponents over criminals such as murderers. .
Among those pardoned was David Dempsey, 37, a California man who pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers and was described by prosecutors as one of the “most violent” members of the pro-Trump mob.
Dempsey used his “arms, feet, flag poles, crutches, pepper spray, broken pieces of furniture, and anything else he could get his hands on as weapons against police,” prosecutors said. ” said the prosecutor.
Dempsey was serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Also pardoned was Enrique Terrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for directing a military-style attack on the Capitol.
The pardons were celebrated in posts on ProudBoys Telegram channels, with several chapters using them as recruiting tools and others voluntarily helping implement Trump’s pledge to deport millions of immigrants. are
Stuart Rhodes, leader of another far-right group, Oath Keepers, was among those released after his 18-year sentence was commuted. Both Tarrio and Rhodes were convicted of conspiracy to treason.
“I feel vindicated,” Rhodes later told reporters outside a prison in Washington, where more Capitol rioters are still being held. “We did the right thing.”
The Capitol attack followed a fiery speech by then-President Trump to tens of thousands of supporters near the White House in which he repeated his false claims that he had won the 2020 race. He then encouraged the crowd to march on the Congress.
Trump was accused of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
But the case never went to trial, and was dismissed under the Justice Department’s policy not to prosecute sitting presidents after Trump won the November election.
