President Donald Trump he pardoned nearly all of the defendants on January 6 Monday night in the Oval Office, after promising at his inauguration parade to sign an executive order on the issue.
Sitting at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, Trump signed the release of more than 1,500 people accused of crimes stemming from the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The order requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons to act immediately upon receiving the pardon.
“Tonight I’m going to sign the J6 hostages, sorry to pull them out,” Trump said at a parade at Capital One Arena in Washington. – I am going to the Oval Office and we will sign pardons for many people.
Those pardoned include Enrique Tarrio, the former president of the Proud Boys, who faced a 22-year prison sentence for conspiracy to rebel. Tarrio’s attorney told The Associated Press that he expects Tarrio to be released Monday night.
Trump previously promised to “act very quickly” on his first day in office to pardon the so-called “hostages.”
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President Donald Trump holds up executive orders after signing them at a closed inauguration parade in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Trump’s pardon “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,” Pelosi, who did not attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“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.
The pardon was one of more than 200 executive orders Trump was slated to sign Inauguration Day. Other directives he signed on Monday include withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord, which the US originally signed during the administration of former President Barack Obama in 2015.
Trump previously withdrew the US from the agreement during his first term in 2020.
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President Donald Trump signs executive orders on stage at the indoor inaugural parade in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)
On Monday morning, then-President Joe Biden issued a series of pardons just hours before Trump was sworn in at the US Capitol. Those pardoned by Biden include the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired general Mark Milley, whom Trump accused of treason. Others pardoned by Biden were those involved in the Jan. 6 Select Committee investigation into the attack.
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President Donald Trump earlier promised to “act very quickly” on his first day in office to pardon the so-called “hostages.” (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
“The issuance of these pardons should not be misconstrued as an admission that any individual has engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any wrongdoing,” Biden said in a statement. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless dedication to our country.”
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
