Trump supporters who stormed US Capitol begin leaving prison after pardon
By Deborah Gembara, Andrew Goudsward and Andy Sullivan.
CUMBERLAND, Maryland/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol four years ago will begin being released from prison on Tuesday, after the newly-elected president issued a sweeping pardon that showed he intended to use his executive powers violently.
The Republican president’s pardon of 1,500 defendants on Inauguration Day Monday, Jan. 6, 2021, drew anger from lawmakers who were at risk of violence after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent Congress from confirming Democrat Joe Biden. 2020 win
Trump’s amnesty followed the crowd, from the hundreds of people who marched into the Capitol to the small group that planned to attack democracy, wounding about 140 police officers that day.
Former Oath Guard militia leader Stuart Rhodes, whose 18-year prison sentence was commuted, was released after midnight Tuesday in Cumberland, Maryland. Rhodes, who was wearing an eye patch after the gun accident, was put in a patrol car and taken away that morning.
Rhodes did not enter the US Capitol on January 6, but was found guilty of conspiring to use force against Congress to prevent the certification of election. He was accused of helping to store weapons at a hotel in nearby Virginia that could be taken across the river to Washington.
The family of Enrique Tario, the leader of the Proud Boys, expected him to be released from prison on Tuesday. Tario was not present at the Capitol on January 6, but was convicted of conspiracy while planning the attack.
“Donald Trump is ushering in a golden age for people who break the law and try to overthrow the government,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Trump, who instigated the attack, refused to accept defeat, jeopardizing the first peaceful transition of power in American history. Around 140 policemen were attacked during the attack and four people died in the riots.
Proud Men’s March
Among those freed were leaders of the far-right Proud Boys organization, including those accused of plotting violence. About 40 men wearing Proud Boys signs traded insults with protesters on the streets of Washington during Trump’s inauguration.
Others to be released include Dominic Pezzola, a police officer who was accused of stealing a riot shield and breaking a window to start the Capitol breach.
Trump’s pardon was just one of the executive orders he signed four years ago after holding an inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Rotunda where his supporters were mobbed.
Trump has launched a massive immigration campaign, cut subsidies for wind power and electric vehicles, and cleared the way for oil drilling in the Arctic and offshore areas. He withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization.
It also delayed the ban on popular video app Tik Tok, which was slated to shut down on Sunday.
However, Trump did not impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada, as he threatened.
Some of Trump’s executive orders, such as eliminating citizenship for those born in the United States, could be challenged in court.
His promise to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America drew gasps when Democratic 2016 presidential challenger Hillary Clinton took the oath of office.
Other policy changes have already had a real-world impact. At the US-Mexico border, migrants despair when their asylum applications are canceled. Planes carrying more than 1,600 Afghan refugees have been cleared to enter the United States.
But Trump seems to be reaping the benefits of his return to power. The cryptocurrency, which launched on Friday, soared to more than $10 billion in market capitalization on Monday, while another related crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, raised $300 million in a token sale.