Trump Brushes Off Jan. 6 Rioters Beating Cops: ‘Minor Incidents’

President Donald Trump called the Jan. 6, 2021, assault of police officers by rioters “minor incidents” when speaking to Sean Hannity on Wednesday.

During his first interview with the Fox News host since he was inaugurated, Trump was asked why he pardoned people who “were violent with police” during the insurrection at the Capitol.

“Number one, they were in there for three-and-a-half years, a long time, and many in solitary confinement, treated like nobody’s ever been treated,” replied Trump. “They were treated like the worst criminals in history, and you know what they were there for? They were protesting the vote because they knew the election was rigged and they were protesting the vote, and they should be allowed to protest the vote. You should be allowed to.”

When Hannity pointed out that “you shouldn’t be able to invade the Capitol,” Trump argued, “Most of the people were absolutely innocent.” The president continued, “But forgetting all about that, these people have served horribly, a long time. It would be very, very cumbersome to go and — Look, you know how many people we’re talking about? 1,500 people.”

Hours after delivering inaugural address on Monday, Trump issued a blanket pardon and widespread clemency to 1,500 individuals who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Large swaths of those defendants were convicted of assaulting police and law enforcement officers, planned violence against lawmakers, and defacing the Capitol in their attempt to overturn the 2020 election, which Trump had lost to former President Biden.

The president told Hannity, “Some of those people with the police, true, but they were very minor incidents. You know that they get built up by that couple of fake guys that are on CNN all the time. They were very minor incidents. And it was time.”

140 police officers were assaulted during the Capitol attack. Among the violent Jan. 6 criminals Trump pardoned include David Dempsey, who was sentenced to 20 years and according to prosecutors “viciously assaulted and injured police officers” with an array of weapons and Daniel Joseph “DJ” Rodriguez, who tasered Police Officer Michael Fanone multiple times in the neck, causing Fanone to suffer a heart attack, a concussion, and traumatic brain injury. Fanone was later diagnosed with PTSD.