DOJ’s ‘excessive’ treatment of Jan. 6 rioters ‘undermined’ prosecution, says Jonathan Turley
Constitutional attorney and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley reacted “American newsroom” On Tuesday, President Donald Trump granted pardons to nearly all of the Jan. 6 rebels accused of crimes.
PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONED HIS BROTHERS AND SISTER JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE
JONATHAN TURLEY: Well, the Department of Justice really pushed for those pardons, and it was hard to do because most of us supported the people responsible for the riot being brought to justice, it was a terrible day. But the Justice Department launched what one of its top lawyers called a ‘shock and awe’ campaign, and they just picked up hundreds of people. They often demanded really excessive penalties, in my opinion. Most of these people are only charged with trespassing or unlawful entry. Most of them were not violent. The government opposed bail, they kept many of them in solitary confinement for a very long time. In some cases, they demanded restrictions on what people could say or read or associate with after they were released. All this undermined their case. So when the president campaigned on this issue, I think a lot of people wanted to see this chapter closed and he certainly did. I mean, this was broader than most people expected or even asked for.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs pardons for defendants Jan. 6 in the Oval Office of the White House on Inauguration Day in Washington, U.S., Jan. 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Trump signed pardons for about 1,500 defendants who were charged with crimes stemming from the riots at the US Capitol, making good on a promise he made in December to act quickly and pardon them.
Trump too mitigated the penalties six people on Monday, including the leaders of the extremist groups Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
“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.
The Department of Justice reported that approximately 140 police officers were assaulted during the riots at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. This included law enforcement members from the US Capitol Police and approximately 60 from the Metropolitan Police.
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.
Diana Stancy of Fox News contributed to this report.
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