Donald Trump pardons January 6 criminals, dismisses pending cases

Trump commuted the sentences for another 14 people convicted on the most serious charges

• Jordan Wilkie/WITF
  BioRecent Stories

  

  As the democracy reporter for WITF, I will cover any kind of story that has to do with how we govern ourselves. That will include doing a lot of election coverage about how to access the ballot, how public officials administer elections, the technology used to run and secure elections, and the laws that govern it all.
  
  My work will also include accountability coverage for elected officials that use their positions to then undermine democratic institutions, like the legislators that voted against the certification of the presidential election results on January 6, 2021. If that weren’t enough, I foresee covering some local government decisions, fights over public records and transparency, and some candidate coverage in 2024. Many stories can have a “democracy frame” meant to help us all understand how our governments work and how we can shape them.
  
  I’m most looking forward to the community reporting about which WITF is passionate. I’ll be talking to a lot of folks about what they want out of their governments, local to national, and how they want to make their visions reality. I’m excited to meet you and talk, with or without a microphone on hand.
  
  I also like to turn my work phone off. When I do that, I’m looking for rocks to climb, trails to run on (slower and slower, somehow), and new places to visit. I’ve lived in the (extended) South for most of my life, so y’all will hear me say things funny and sometimes my hearing is funny, too, so we’ll figure out this radio thing together.

 Dauphin County Prison via AP

This booking photo provided by the Dauphin County, Pa., Prison, shows Riley June Williams. Federal authorities on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, arrested Williams, whose former romantic partner says she took a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. (Dauphin County Prison via AP)

President Donald Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,200 people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. He also directed the U.S. Attorney General to dismiss all other cases related to January 6, affecting more than 300 additional people awaiting trial or sentencing. 

Trump’s action affects 79 people from Pennsylvania already convicted of crimes and another 17 that were awaiting trial. 

“ Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced,” Trump said during his inaugural address Monday. “The vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end.” 

Thirty-two people from Central Pennsylvania had been charged with crimes related to the attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory in 2020. In all, the investigation into the attempted insurrection was the largest in federal government history. Trump has now erased the punishments for those charged with trespassing and other crimes at the Capitol, including 24 Pennsylvanians convicted of violence and assault. 

The Capitol riot lasted seven hours, injured an estimated 250 officers across multiple agencies, and caused or contributed to the deaths of four Trump supporters that day, and five law enforcement officers in the days after, according to the House’s Select Committee to Investigate January 6th. 

Trump, who was facing three felonies for his role in attempting to overthrow Biden’s presidency, said he and those that supported him were being targeted with political prosecutions. 

Trump welcomed families of those held in jail and prison on January 6 related charges to the stage with him at his inaugural celebration. He referred to those still held in custody as “hostages.” Trump has promised for his entire campaign to pardon people who stormed the Capitol on his behalf.  

Trump faced charges related to his attempts to block Biden from taking office in 2021, but Jack Smith, the special counsel bringing the charges against Trump, dropped the case as it is against Department of Justice policies to bring charges against a sitting president. Should the case have gone to trial, Trump would have been convicted, Smith wrote in his final report. 

“ Deranged Jack Smith. You ever hear of him? Deranged. He’s a deranged prosecutor. He’s sick,” Trump said during his speech at his inaugural celebration. “ We got to get rid of that guy.” 

Trump’s pardons, commutations and case dismissals undermine the rule of law, said former federal judge John Jones III. 

“The pardon wipes away the consequences of the crime, it doesn’t mean that you’re not guilty,” Jones said. He served as the chief judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania before retiring and becoming the president of Dickinson College in Carlisle.

Trump’s allegations that the January 6 investigations and prosecutions were themselves a miscarriage of law are false, Jones said. People who have questions about the cases can review the facts behind each charge, he said. The cases and evidence are public. 

“Go look at the videotapes. Your eyes don’t deceive,” Jones said. “Don’t don’t accept a false narrative simply because you support the person who has proffered that false narrative.”

Loading…

A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.

Learn More