Pardoned by Trump, Capitol rioters released from prison

Supporters of Donald Trump who took part in the assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 were released from prison on Tuesday, the day after the return to the White House of the Republican president who immediately signed a decree to pardon some 1,500 charged or commute their prison sentences.

This campaign promise from Donald Trump was materialized by one of the numerous decrees that he signed on Monday following his inauguration ceremony, signaling from the outset that he intends to use all his prerogatives, despite of the outcry that the measure aroused among elected representatives of Congress and security forces put in danger or injured during the assault.

Several thousand supporters of the Republican violently broke into the Capitol, symbol of American democracy, to try – in vain – to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory against Donald Trump in the November 2020 presidential election.

This assault resulted from the refusal of the Republican leader, at the time outgoing president, to recognize his electoral defeat against the Democrat, denouncing without proof a vast fraud and threatening the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in the modern history of the States -United.

Four people were killed and nearly 140 police officers were injured during chaotic scenes around and inside the Capitol.

I am betrayed by my countryMichael Fanone, a former Washington police officer injured in the assault of January 6, 2021, told CNN television.

Six individuals who attacked me while I was doing my job, like hundreds of other law enforcement officers, will now go free.

Bad signal

The decree signed by Donald Trump concerns both those convicted of offenses, people indicted for attacking police officers and a smaller group of individuals who were found guilty of assault against democracy and conspiracy to sedition.

Many of Donald Trump’s allies, including Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General-designate Pam Bondi, had suggested that those convicted of violence would likely not be pardoned.

Pardoning rioters who attacked police officers sends the wrong message, reacted Tuesday Senator Thom Tillis, who is also from the Republican Party.

I saw a picture today of people running over a police officer. None of them should be pardoned […] You’re making this place less safe if you send a signal that police officers can be attacked without consequences. That seems pretty clear to me.

The White House spokesperson defended Donald Trump’s decision, repeating the argument put forward without evidence by the latter according to which most of the convictions resulted from political motivations of the Democrats.

President Trump campaigned on this promiseKaroline Leavitt told Fox News. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he realizes it on day one of his mandate.

Sentences commuted for militia leaders

More than 1,000 defendants have pleaded guilty to avoid trial and more than 660 have been detained, according to data from the federal Justice Department.

The executive order commutes the prison sentences of 14 members of two far-right militias, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, some of whom were convicted of sedition conspiracy, without formally pardoning them – meaning certain restrictions, on the carrying of weapons in particular, will remain in force.

Open in full screen mode

Stewart Rhodes, former leader of the Oath Keepers sentenced to 18 years in prison, was released in the early hours of Tuesday night from the Maryland prison where he was being held.

Rhodes did not enter the Capitol on January 6, 2021, but he was convicted of conspiracy against democracy for, among other things, helping to stockpile weapons for an assault.

Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the Proud Boys, is expected to be released in the coming hours, according to his family. He was not present at the Capitol, but was sentenced to 22 years in prison – the longest sentence imposed in connection with the January 6, 2021 assault – for conspiracy to commit sedition.

Furthermore, the decree signed by Donald Trump orders the Department of Justice to close all ongoing procedures related to the assault – more than 300 files –, putting an end to the largest investigation ever carried out by the department. .

Our politics has always been violent

Federal judges in Washington, including some appointed by Donald Trump during his first term, handling cases related to the assault on the Capitol, had since expressed concern about the events.

According to court records, District Judge Carl Nichols said during a hearing last November that outright pardoning the actions of January 6, 2021 would be more than frustrating and disappointing.

Norm Pattis, lawyer for Stewart Rhodes and two other figures in the assault on the Capitol, rejected the idea that presidential pardons lead to an increase in political violence.

Our political life has always been violenthe justified, citing among other things the Civil War and the demonstrations of the 1960s for civil rights. Violence is the norm in this country.

Shortly before signing the decree, Donald Trump expressed Monday in front of a crowd of supporters his desire to release the hostages from January 6 who have, for the most part, done nothing wrong.

A legal proceeding initiated by the US Department of Justice against Donald Trump for his alleged role in the assault on the Capitol was abandoned following the November 5 vote, the department’s policy being not to prosecute a sitting president .