President Trump granted clemency on Monday night to individuals involved in the events of January 6, 2021, fulfilling his campaign commitment to pardon participants in the Capitol riot. The pardons, issued late in the evening, were part of a larger batch of approximately 1,500 signed after Trump returned to the White House following a day of inauguration activities.

Speaking to reporters, Trump confirmed the plan, stating, “I hope they come out tonight.” He made the announcement shortly before the formal signing. During a substitute event for the inaugural parade, which was canceled due to extreme cold, Trump remarked, “We’re going to go to the Oval Office, we’re going to release our great hostages that didn’t do — for the most part, they didn’t do stuff wrong.”

The 47th president, who was impeached by the House of Representatives just a week after the riot for allegedly inciting violence, argued that the treatment of the January 6 participants was unfair compared to how offenders in other high-profile protests were handled. “Look at what happens in other parts of the country. In Portland, where they kill people, they destroy the city, nothing happens to them. In Seattle, where they took over a big chunk of the city, nothing happened. In Minneapolis, where they burned down the city, nothing happened,” Trump said before signing the pardons.

The Justice Department has brought charges against 1,575 individuals connected to the Capitol riot. While some faced convictions for assaulting law enforcement, many were penalized for nonviolent offenses like unauthorized entry into the Capitol building.

The exact number of individuals excluded from the pardon list remains unclear due to the varying degrees of seriousness in their alleged crimes. Trump had pledged to review each case carefully, emphasizing during his campaign the importance of addressing the issue within the first hour of his presidency. He consistently expressed frustration over the lengthy sentences imposed on many of the rioters.

Trump previewed the decision at a rally in Washington, D.C., the night before his inauguration. “Tomorrow everyone in this very large arena will be very happy with my decision on the J6 hostages,” he told the cheering audience at Capitol One Arena.

In a December interview with Time magazine, where he was named “Person of the Year,” Trump emphasized that nonviolent offenders were suffering unjustly. “A vast majority should not be in jail, and they’ve suffered gravely,” he said, reiterating that those who committed no violent acts should not remain incarcerated.

One such nonviolent offender, Philip Sean Grillo from New York City, shouted, “Trump’s gonna pardon me anyways,” when he received a one-year prison sentence in December for walking through the Capitol and using a megaphone to shout, “charge.” Many cases involved charges such as disorderly conduct and unlawful entry, though some individuals received multi-year sentences for assault or other violent acts.

As of August 2024, federal prison sentences had been handed down to 562 individuals connected to the riot. Among them was Enrique Tarrio, a Proud Boys leader who received a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy despite not being at the Capitol on January 6.

The riot claimed multiple lives. Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter, was fatally shot by police while attempting to climb through a broken window near the Speaker’s Lobby. Rosanne Boyland, 34, collapsed and died during confrontations in the Rotunda. Additionally, Benjamin Philips, 50, and Kevin Greeson, 55, suffered fatal medical emergencies during the chaos. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, 42, who had supported Trump, died of a stroke the day after the attack. Two other officers committed suicide within days of the riot.

Trump’s intentions to pardon January 6 participants were first hinted at in early 2022, before his formal re-election announcement. At a rally in Conroe, Texas, he declared, “If I run, and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly.” He added, “And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons. Because they are being treated so unfairly.”

As Trump’s return to the White House drew closer, he reiterated that pardons would be a top priority. “I’m going to be acting very quickly. First day,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker, adding that the conditions in which many rioters were held were “filthy” and “disgusting.” While he acknowledged some exceptions might apply for individuals he described as “radical” or “crazy,” Trump criticized the legal system, saying it forced people into guilty pleas under undue pressure.

Trump’s anger toward his predecessor’s actions surfaced after President Biden issued a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter. On social media, Trump wrote, “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”

{Matzav.com}