
As expected, Inauguration Day (Jan. 20) was a busy one for Donald Trump, who spent the first several hours of his second-term presidency issuing sweeping executive orders for wide-ranging issues, such as the status of TikTok, gender classification, and the country’s removal from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization. While cameras were rolling, he signed off an order giving clemency to about 1,500 participants in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots, which left numerous deaths and injuries in its wake.
The action effectively dismantled the Justice Department’s four-year effort to hold those accountable for insurrection. “Full, complete and unconditional” pardons were gifted to numerous high-profile offenders convicted of violent acts, weapons possession and property damage.
As confirmed by Politico, the beneficiaries of Trump’s decision included Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader sentenced to 22 years for seditious conspiracy; Guy Reffitt, who armed himself during a confrontation that aided the mob’s advance; and Ryan Samsel, who led the initial breach of police defenses. Controversial figures like Julian Khater, who pepper-sprayed the now-deceased Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, and Patrick McCaughey, who pinned D.C. officer Daniel Hodges in a doorway, were also added to the list.
While most received full pardons, 14 individuals had their sentences commuted, meaning they were released from incarceration but retained felony convictions. Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers founder convicted of seditious conspiracy, saw his sentence reduced rather than erased, despite a judge’s warning that his release was “frightening.” Trump also instructed the Justice Department to terminate over 470 active prosecutions related to the Capitol attack, many involving allegations of violence, and ordered the Bureau of Prisons to release detainees immediately.
While some allies and even a federal judge he appointed cautioned against granting blanket pardons, Trump defended his decision, stating, “These people have been destroyed. What they’ve done to these people has been outrageous.” Notably, Vice President JD Vance suggested that anyone involved in violent acts “obviously” should not receive clemency. Politico added that the judicial system already adjudicated about 1,100 cases out of the 1,600 people charged, and nearly 700 defendants served their sentences or avoided imprisonment.