Trump pardoned almost all of the accused on January 6, the day of his inauguration
President Donald Trump pardoned all of the Jan. 6 defendants on Monday night after pledging during his inauguration speech to sign an executive order in the case.
Sitting at his decision desk in the Oval Office, Trump signed the release of more than 1,500 people accused of crimes stemming from the attack on the US Capitol beginning on January 6, 2021. The order requires federal prisons to act immediately upon receiving amnesty.
“Tonight I’m going to sign the J6 hostages, I’m going to sign the amnesty,” Trump said at a rally in Washington’s Capital One Arena. “I’m going to the Oval Office and we’re going to sign an apology to a lot of people.”
Those pardoned include former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tario. Tario’s attorney told The Associated Press that Tario is expected to be released Monday night.
Trump has previously promised to “move very quickly” to pardon the so-called “hostages” for the first time in office.
TRUMP TO DEPLOY TROOPS TO BORDER, END BIDEN’S PAROLE POLICIES WITH ONE-DAY FLY ORDER.
President Donald Trump holds an executive order after signing it during an indoor presidential inauguration ceremony, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Matt Rourke/Associated Press)
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Trump’s pardon “disgraceful” and said it was a reminder of the “courage” of law enforcement “heroes” who ensured the survival of democracy.
“The president’s actions are a terrible insult to our justice system and to the heroes who have suffered physical and emotional scars while protecting the Capitol, Congress and the Constitution,” Pelosi, who did not attend Trump’s inauguration Monday, said in a statement. Posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“It is shameful that the president has decided to make the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop the attempt to reverse the peaceful transition of power one of the main issues,” he said.
The pardon is one of more than 200 executive orders Trump is expected to sign on Inauguration Day. Other directives signed Monday include the United States under former President Barack Obama’s 2011 This includes withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, which she signed in early 2015.
Trump had previously pulled the US out of the deal during his first term in office in 2020.
Trump will take more than 200 steps on the first day
The pardon is one of more than 200 executive orders Trump is expected to sign on Inauguration Day. (Mark Shifflebein/Associated Press)
On Monday morning, then-President Joe Biden issued a series of pardons just hours before Trump was sworn in at the US Capitol. Those pardoned by Biden include the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired general Mark Miley, whom Trump accused of treason. Others pardoned by Biden are those who participated in the January 6 subcommittee hearing on the attack.
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President Donald Trump earlier in his term promised to “move very quickly” to pardon the so-called hostages for the first time in office. (Carlos Baria/Reuters)
“The granting of these pardons should not be construed as an admission of wrongdoing by any individual, or as an admission of guilt for any wrongdoing,” Biden said in a statement. Our nation is indebted to these public servants for their tireless commitment to our country.
Fox News’ Ander Hagstrom and Brooke Syngman contributed to this report.