Jan 21, 2025
President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended the pardons and commutations of roughly 1,500 defendants charged in crimes connected to the Jan. 6 attack, including some convicted of assaulting police officers. Trump, in one of the first presidential acts of his second term, commuted the sentences of 14 prisoners and pardoned all others convicted of offenses related to the 2021 riot at the Capitol. He also directed the attorney general to dismiss all indictments pending before judges related to what became the largest federal investigation ever. “They’ve served years in jail,” Trump said in response to questions from reporters at the White House on why he pardoned violent offenders. “They should not have served, and they’ve served years in jail. And murderers don’t even go to jail in this country.” He added, “We pardoned people that were treated unbelievably poorly.” Many of those pardoned by Trump had been convicted of violent attacks on police officers defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, when Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory. The pardons apply to those who were armed with items such as stun guns, batons and hatchet. Trump went on to say that members of the Oath Keepers, a far right militia, were serving sentences that Trump called “ridiculous and excessive,” adding that of the cases the White House looked at, “these were people that actually love our country, so we thought a pardon would be appropriate.” Some Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy related to Jan. 6. Trump used the subject to return repeatedly to the issue of violent crime in American cities, as well as pardons that former President Joe Biden signed for the Jan. 6 Committee members and separately, for his relatives as he left office. Trump administration 7 hours ago Trump fired four top immigration court officials hours after taking office Capitol Riot 8 hours ago ‘I just can't agree': Trump's Jan. 6 pardons face pushback from Republican senators This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News: Trump fired four top immigration court officials hours after taking office Trump administration uses King’s ‘Dream’ speech to introduce executive orders cutting DEI Trump signs executive orders proclaiming there are only two biological sexes, halting diversity programs
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