Trump Pardons Seditionist Proud Boy Leader Among 1,500 Jan. 6 Defendants

Donald Trump has issued blanket pardons to 1,500 of individuals who were convicted of offenses or faced charges relating to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also signed 14 commutations, deeming the offenders to have fulfilled their sentences with time served.

“This is January 6,” Trump said, sitting in the Oval Office, holding a black folder with the proclamation. “And these are the hostages. Approximately 1,500 for a pardon. Full pardon.” 

The clemency will extend to high-profile convictions for seditious conspiracy, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who were sentenced to 18 and 22 years respectively. Tarrio appears to have received a full pardon; Rhodes’ sentence was commuted.

The proclamation from the White House declares that the action “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’s action represents a severe challenge to the rule of law, and a stunning reversal of years of work by the Department of Justice, erasing the convictions associated with one of the largest federal criminal prosecutions in history.

Tarrio asked Trump for a pardon on Jan. 6, with his lawyer arguing that letting Tarrio off the hook would “demonstrate commitment to lawful, peaceful, and constructive contributions.” The judge who oversaw Rhodes’ trial, Amit Mehta, had spoken out against clemency from his courtroom in recent weeks, insisting that “the notion that Stewart Rhodes could be absolved is frightening — and ought to be frightening to anyone who cares about democracy.” 

The proclamation calls on the Justice Department to dismiss all Jan. 6 cases that are still pending in court. It has also instructed authorities to begin effectuating releases immediately.

Jake Lang, who haphazardly attempted to gin up a militia from jail while awaiting trial on serious Jan. 6 charges, posted on X Monday afternoon that he would soon be out on the streets. “JUST ANNOUNCED THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS DROPPING MY JANUARY 6 CASE!!!!!!” he wrote. “IM FINALLY COMING HOME!!!”

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In the years since the Jan. 6 attack, the Department of Justice has charged individuals for assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees of the Capitol, trespassing on restricted grounds, destruction or theft of government property, or obstructing an official proceeding. 

Earlier this month, Vice President J.D. Vance indicated that violent offenders were unlikely to receive clemency. “I think it’s very simple. If you protested peacefully on Jan. 6, and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” the vice president told Fox News. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.”

Trump’s commutations included Dominic Pezzola, a member of the Proud Boys who was convicted of assaulting a police officer, among other charges. Joe Biggs, a Tarrio deputy who was described as the “tip of the spear” of the Proud Boys’ assault on the Capitol also received a commutation, as did Kelly Meggs, a top Rhodes lieutenant who was convicted at the same trial.

In a speech shortly after taking the oath of office, Trump referred to those incarcerated on Jan. 6-related offenses as the “Jan. 6 hostages.” The president also repeated his claim that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was responsible for the violence that unfolded because she refused Trump’s offer of 10,000 National Guard troops to quell the riot, which is false.

Trump and Republicans have painted individuals convicted of offenses related to the attempted insurrection — which resulted in almost $3 million in damages to the Capitol, hundreds of injuries, and multiple deaths — as patriotic heroes, claiming that those who participated in the riot were merely peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment right.

Where violently bashing through police lines, battering down doors, breaking windows, and plotting the arrest and murder of members of Congress falls into the concept of peaceful protest remains unclear.