President Trunp’s Message to Americans
[guest post by Dana]
Sean Hannity asked President Trump about his pardoning of the Jan. 6 rioters, specifically those who committed violent acts:
HANNITY:
“So you did run on a platform, you were very straightforward. You said you would pardon these people that were sentenced for January 6th. You did,” noted Hannity during an interview with Trump. “The only criticism or pushback I’ve seen is about people that were convicted or involved in incidents where they were violent with police. Why did they get a pardon?”TRUMP:
A number of reasons. Number one, they were in there for three-and-a-half years, a long time, and many in solitary confinement, treated like nobody’s ever been treated. Treated so badly. They were treated like the worst criminals in history, and you know what they were there for? They were protesting the vote because they knew the election was rigged and they were protesting the vote, and they should be allowed to protest the vote. You should be allowed to.
Here is an overview of the pardons and who received them:
The proclamation Trump signed grants a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” to virtually everyone who was convicted of January 6-related crimes.
That covers approximately 1,250 people, the vast majority of whom pleaded guilty and admitted in court that they broke the law.
There was no differentiation between people convicted of violent felonies versus nonviolent misdemeanors, as Trump’s allies have signaled in recent weeks. Instead, the blanket pardon covers hundreds of felony rioters who were guilty of assaulting police officers, attacking members of the media, obstructing police during a riot, and destroying government property.
Stunningly, the pardon includes Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Among the other pardon recipients: Devlyn Thompson, who hit a police officer with a metal baton, and Robert Palmer, a Florida man who attacked police with a fire extinguisher, a wooden plank and a pole.
So now we know: With these pardons, President Trump informed Americans that, if one commits an act of violence on his behalf, they’ll be relieved of efforts of legal accountability, including jail time. This, even if you admit that you’ve broken the law and plead guilty in a courtroom. What a message to send. So exactly how much thought did the President put into such an enormous decision of releasing Jan. 6 offenders (including those who committed violence)? About what you would expect:
Trump vacillated during an internal debate over targeted clemency vs. a blanket decision according to two insiders.
But as Trump’s team wrestled with the issue, and planned a shock-and-awe batch of executive orders Day 1, “Trump just said: ‘F -k it: Release ’em all,'” an adviser familiar with the discussions said.
MUST-WATCH: Daniel Hodges, the Capitol police officer who was crushed by the Jan 6 rioters who pinned him against a wall, came back this week to ensure safety at Trump's inauguration and just spoke at the Capitol addressing the pardons.
Daniel, America failed you. 💔 pic.twitter.com/SAL3yVWJ4o
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) January 23, 2025
Four more years. . .
—Dana
Hello.
Dana (95c7e3) — 1/23/2025 @ 11:59 amMr. Hodges expressed it beautifully, his reacting to Trump pardoning 500-plus cop-beaters.
Paul Montagu (3bccc6) — 1/23/2025 @ 12:20 pmMy only issue with this is “if one commits an act of violence on his behalf, they’ll be relieved of efforts of legal accountability, including jail time. ”
These folks spent over 3 years in jail and then prison, the more violent ones jailed from the start. The median time spent in state prison for assault [PDF], as of 2016, was less than 2 years and only 12% spent more than 5 years.
They did not avoid jail time, and the time served wasn’t hugely different from similar state cases. The real problem was that they were pardoned.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/23/2025 @ 12:42 pmHistory less: In the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion, 12 people were killed on the government’s side, 3-4 were killed on the rebels’ side, and 2 civilians died. Many more were wounded on both sides. 150 rebels (out of about 600) were captured. George Washington issued a blanket pardon to all of the rebels, including at least 2 who were convicted of treason and sentenced to die by hanging.
The US population in 1794 was about 4000000. Today, it’s almost 100 times that. As a proportion of the population, the Whiskey Rebellion was a far larger attack on the government than January 6 ever was. And no one really criticizes Washington for pardoning everyone involved, including for treason (a worse crime than seditious conspiracy). Was Washington wrong in 1794?
Observer (cf983b) — 1/23/2025 @ 1:16 pmIt’s possible something is misspelled in the title.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/23/2025 @ 5:11 pmOnly four years?
Federal employees must inform on each other or be punished, and commititng violence on trump’s behalf will be rewarded.
How is this *not* the first step towards establishing an inward-looking authoritarian state in which mob violence and the threat of legal punishment are used to keep everyone in line, just like in the warsaw pact states?
aphrael (dbf41f) — 1/23/2025 @ 5:14 pmSo then what differentiates the ones that _did_ only get commutations? As I understand it 14 did not get pardoned.
Soronel Haetir (f98656) — 1/23/2025 @ 6:35 pmBill O’Reilly had someone on is show who says he pleded guilty based on a government assertion of 4 facts that weren’t true. He did not enter the Capitol grounds. He did not yell to people “Go, go go” He did enter a restricted area but at the time he got there there were no signs saying so and he did not know that he was crossing into a restricted area. He was one of the scheduled speakers at a rally to be held at the Capitol grounds. (the truth is, by the way, that there were lies told to get the permits. The J6 committee had no interest in showing that a rally – one big one not 9 small ones- was planned. They were pushing a false narrative, including the idea that police were not only injured, but died.
Going back to the guest on Bill O’Reilly:)
But he was charged with felonies and offered a misdemeanor plea and what with DC juries, he figured, on advice of counsel, he should plead guilty. He also said that people received other punishment than jail: Being de-platformed and de-banked.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 1/24/2025 @ 12:00 pm