Former Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes have been released from prison as President Donald Trump frees more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the riot at the US Capitol four years ago.
Within less than 24 hours of Trump signing orders granting pardons or commutations to those convicted of trying to violently overturn the 2020 election, two of the insurgency’s most prominent leaders have left prison. Trump also rejects charges against those accused of rioting.
“My son, Enrique Tarrio, is now officially released!” Zuny Tarrio posted on X on Tuesday.
Rhodes, who was not pardoned but had his sentence commuted, told local media that he was waiting outside a prison in Washington for the defendants to be released.
Rhodes, a former US Army paratrooper and Yale-educated lawyer, was accused of leading a contingent of his Oath Keepers to Washington.
Although Rhodes did not enter the Capitol, he managed his members from the outside, and in 2023 he was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Tarrio was found guilty of seditious conspiracy – a rarely used charge of plotting to overthrow the government – for the rebellion. He was not in Washington DC during the riots, but directed others involved.
He received a sentence of 22 years, one of the longest.
Amid the pardons and commutations, Trump also signed an order directing the Justice Department to drop all pending cases against suspects accused in the riots.
The lead attorney for those defendants – Edward R. Martin – has also been named acting US attorney for Washington, DC, showing the depth of Trump’s desire to end years of criminal prosecutions. The Washington office was in charge of trying cases related to January 6.
Democrats condemned the release of more than 1,000 people as an attempt to rewrite history and sanitize the violence in the riots that led to multiple deaths.
Trump described the day as “peaceful” and the jailed or imprisoned rebels as “hostages.”
