Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., slammed the president Donald Trump on Monday evening to pardon more than 1,000 people involved in the riots on January 6, 2021.
Trump signed pardons for roughly 1,500 defendants accused of crimes related to the attack on the US Capitol, fulfilling a promise he made in December to act quickly to pardon them.
Trump also commuted the sentences of six people on Monday, including the leaders of the extremist groups Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
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President Donald Trump signed pardons for approximately 1,500 defendants charged with crimes related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
But Pelosi called the move “disgraceful” and said the “bravery” of law enforcement “heroes” who “made sure democracy survives” should be remembered.
“The president’s actions are an outrageous affront to our justice system and the heroes who have suffered physical scars and emotional trauma while protecting the Capitol, Congress and the Constitution,” said Pelosi, who did not attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
“It is shameful that the president has chosen to make it one of his top priorities to abandon and betray law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to undermine a peaceful transfer of power,” Pelosi said.
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U.S. President Donald Trump sings the second executive order during the inauguration parade at Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of his second term as president, in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
The Department of Justice reported that approximately 140 police officers were assaulted during the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. This included law enforcement members from the US Capitol Police and approximately 60 from the Metropolitan Police.
President Donald Trump announced at his inauguration parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC that he would grant pardons for the so-called “hostages.” (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Earlier on Monday, Trump announced at his inauguration parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, that he would issue pardons for the so-called “hostages.”
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“Tonight I’m going to sign the J6 hostages, sorry to drag them out,” Trump said at a parade at Capital One Arena. “I’m going to the Oval Office and we’re going to sign pardons for a lot of people.
So far, judges or juries have convicted roughly 250 people who faced charges of participating in the riots after a trial, and more than 1,000 have pleaded guilty to crimes since January.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
