Donald Trump spent the four years after the January 6 insurrection rewriting the violence and chaos he caused when his supporters stormed the US Capitol.
On the first day of his second term as president, he took the rewrite to the final step by pardoning and reducing sentences for those involved in the uprising, including the leaders of far-right militias and those who clashed with police that day fought.
If the criminal charges were intended to deter future acts of political violence, the pardons of more than 1,500 people are doing the opposite, experts say.
“This goes beyond rewriting what January 6 was,” said Robert Pape, director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago, who has studied January 6 suspects. “This is about legitimizing future January 6.”
On Monday, a procession of Proud Boys marched through Washington, carrying a banner congratulating Trump on his victory, a visible representation of the welcome the far right is receiving from the new administration, and their former national chairman, Enrique Tarrio, received a full pardon. . Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the right-wing militia group Oath Keepers, had his sentence commuted.
Related: Who are Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes, and what were their roles on January 6?
“This will have powerful future implications for normalizing political violence, as many of those he has granted clemency pose a continued threat of political violence in the future,” Pape said.
Even those who did not participate in the violence on January 6 may have played a role in the violence. Pape’s research shows that nearly 500 people convicted of low-level, non-violent crimes were “knowing and willing participants in the violent aspects of the Capitol siege, and that without the participation of this massive group, the siege would likely have would never have happened or would have ended quickly. by the police”.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed that the pardons of all those involved were not widely supported by the general public. Nearly 60% of people who responded to the poll said Trump should not pardon all “J6ers.” A YouGov poll before the inauguration showed the same thing: a majority of respondents, including a majority of Republicans, opposed pardons for those who committed violence.
“As many of President Trump’s supporters recognize, it would be hypocritical and dangerous for a president who continues to fight crime and restore law and order to pardon hundreds of convicts convicted of attacking law enforcement and otherwise participating in violence,” said a press release about the poll.
In the hours after Trump granted the pardon, videos and photos trickled out of people leaving prisons across the country, freed by Trump’s pen. In one video, a man cuts off his ankle monitor with scissors and then says “Free at last.” Others posted photos of themselves or paperwork showing their pardons, celebrating their freedom and thanking Trump.
Some are still working toward their release, and were offered help by tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, who posted on his social media platform Monday evening to “please let us know if you are having any issues with the release of your loved ones.”
Trump also ordered the Justice Department to drop charges in the pending cases, ending the department’s years of work to track down and prosecute the Capitol rioters. Trump appointed Ed Martin, a conservative lawyer who was involved in the Stop the Steal movement and supported the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, DC, putting him in charge of the January 6 prosecutions, NBC News reported.
When reporters in Washington asked about the pardons on Tuesday, some pointed to Biden’s pardon when he resigned as justification for Trump’s move, or said the defendants had served enough time for their crimes.
At least one person convicted for her role, Pamela Hemphill, said she would refuse Trump’s pardon. Dubbed the “Maga-grandma,” Hemphill has since supported Democrats and denounced Trump.
But most celebrated the decision. Perhaps the most visible face of the rioters, Jacob Chansley, known as the “Qanon Shaman,” wrote on Twitter/X that he had just received news from his lawyer that he had been pardoned. “NOW I’M GOING TO BUY A MOTHA FU*KIN GUNS!!! I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!”
Several of those who have publicly discussed their cases have published books about their involvement on January 6 or plan to give speaking engagements about it. Others have formed organizations to support those involved in the January 6 attack.
Related: Trump’s return to the White House is a carefully choreographed display of brutal force
Those involved and their supporters were also looking for ways to seek retribution for what they believed was a system rigged against them because of their political views.
They could file civil lawsuits against the government to seek redress or damages for the charges or time spent in prison, using the language in Trump’s pardon as evidence that they were overcharged brought. The pardons call the charges a “grave national injustice committed against the American people over the past four years.”
Trump went back and forth in the final days before taking office, neither committing to a blanket pardon nor ruling it out. Prominent Republicans, including JD Vance, had previously said that those convicted of violent acts on January 6 should not be pardoned. The vice president’s comments drew strong reactions from defendants and their supporters.
“Weak people wanted hyper-cleansed action for the J6 hostages,” said Charlie Kirk, the leader of the right-wing youth group Turning Point. “Trump wanted bold action to save people from the tyranny of the legal community. He delivered. This was all his.”