Disappointment Soars as Trump’s Transition Team Claims No Blanket Pardons for January 6 Protesters, Case-by-Case Decisions Expected
In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s resounding electoral victory, expectations were high among his supporters that the defendants involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach would receive presidential pardons.
To date, over 1,500 individuals have been charged for their involvement in the Capitol protests, and more than 1,000 have been sentenced. The sentences range from minor probation to years behind bars, often far exceeding the norm for similar offenses.
Biden’s Gestapo Department of Justice has weaponized these cases, using cherry-picked evidence and politically biased judges to ensure harsh penalties. Even non-violent participants have faced excessive punishment, many for merely entering the Capitol.
Some of these protesters were forced to defend themselves and fight back after Capitol Police attacked them with brutal force, including the use of pepper spray and tear gas.
A tragic example is Rosanne Boyland, whose death has raised serious questions. Witness accounts and video footage depict her unconscious body lying on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, as desperate Trump supporters tried to save her.
They eventually carried her lifeless body to the entrance of the West Capitol and pleaded with Metro Police for assistance. This followed a harrowing scene where an officer was seen striking Rosanne repeatedly with a stick.
For years, supporters of the January 6 defendants have called for mercy, highlighting the egregious disparities in the justice system.
These defendants have been painted as pawns in a larger Deep State operation designed to undermine Trump’s presidency and deter patriotic dissent.
Despite previous hints at sweeping pardons, a recent statement from Trump’s campaign signaled a shift to a more cautious approach, disappointing many.
WATCH:
Trump to pardon J6 prisoners on ‘case by case’ basis — No blanket pardons pic.twitter.com/9LOvuLHy9F
— FoxProMAGA (@FoxProMAGA) November 22, 2024
A Scripps News poll revealed that 64% of respondents oppose pardoning the over 1,500 individuals charged with crimes related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Among independents, opposition rose to 68%. However, support for the pardons was notably higher among Republicans, with 56% in favor.
The decision has triggered disappointment and anger among Trump’s staunchest allies, who argue that the January 6 defendants have been unjustly punished.
Julie Kelly, a prominent conservative commentator, blasted the decision, tweeting, “Anything less than a blanket pardon for all J6ers subjected to rigged trials with cherry picked evidence created by corrupt DOJ apparatchiks and endorsed by complicit DC judges is not acceptable. Free them all.”
Anything less than a blanket pardon for all J6ers subjected to rigged trials with cherry picked evidence created by corrupt DOJ apparatchiks and endorsed by complicit DC judges is not acceptable. Free them all.
— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) November 23, 2024
January 6 defendant John Strand, who received a three-year sentence for a nonviolent actions, stated, “I was sentenced to 3 years in prison for peacefully walking around then leaving when police asked us to. This wasn’t justice, this was a weaponized DOJ manipulating evidence to create the illusion of an “insurrection” — which was a complete fraud. Pardon us all.”
I was sentenced to 3 years in prison for peacefully walking around then leaving when police asked us to.
This wasn’t justice, this was a weaponized DOJ manipulating evidence to create the illusion of an “insurrection” — which was a complete fraud.
Pardon us all. https://t.co/R3eupPXYW1
— John Strand (@JohnStrandUSA) November 23, 2024
According to Marjorie Taylor Greene, “Every single J6er who has been targeted by the weaponized Biden/Harris regime must be pardoned! BLM/Antifa rioters who caused over $1 billion in damage across the country were either bailed out by Kamala Harris and Ilhan Omar or never put behind bars in the first place.” We cannot have a two-tiered justice system.
Every single J6er who has been targeted by the weaponized Biden/Harris regime must be pardoned!
BLM/Antifa rioters who caused over $1 billion in damage across the country were either bailed out by Kamala Harris and Ilhan Omar or never put behind bars in the first place.
We must… pic.twitter.com/71ZjdyvnKH
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) November 13, 2024
Trump’s transition team has maintained a consistent and clear stance from the outset, emphasizing a case-by-case evaluation approach regarding pardons for January 6 since Antifa and FBI agents were also present on the January 6.
Earlier this year, in Trump’s interview with Time magazine, he said he was “absolutely” considering pardoning Capitol rioters. However, his team later clarified that any pardons would be assessed “on a case-by-case basis.”
Time Magazine: Will you consider pardoning every one of them?
Trump: I would consider that, yes.
Time magazine: You would?
Trump: Yes, absolutely. If somebody was evil and bad, I would look at that differently. But many of those people went in, many of those people were ushered in. You see it on tape, the police are ushering them in. They’re walking with the police.
“As President Trump has promised, he will pardon January 6th protestors who are wrongfully imprisoned by Crooked Joe Biden’s Justice Department, and those decisions will be determined on a case-by-case basis when he is back in the White House,” Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, told NBC News at the time.
According to the news outlet:
The Trump campaign statement came in response to a question from NBC News about the sentencing last week of John Sullivan, who was a political outlier among Jan. 6 defendants.
Sullivan is not a Trump supporter, raising questions about whether the former president would seek to pardon him. Prosecutors said Sullivan was an “antiestablishment” activist who wanted to “burn it all down” and who tried to “incite violence” and “foment anarchy” during the Jan. 6 attack.
Sullivan previously held himself out as a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement (although activists distanced themselves from Sullivan before Jan. 6) and was caught on video after the Capitol attack bragging about how his goal had been to “make those Trump supporters f— s— up.”
In May, President Trump expressed his intention to pardon “many” of the January 6 participants but not ‘every single one.’
“I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can’t say for every single one because a couple of them probably they got out of control.”
WATCH:
FLASHBACK: In May, President Trump said he’d pardon “many” of the January 6 patriots.
“I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can’t say for every single one because a couple of them probably they got out of control.” pic.twitter.com/FZGDa4Eok1
— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) November 24, 2024
In July, Trump announced that he would pardon January 6 protesters as long as they were ‘innocent‘ during his attendance at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago.
Karoline Leavitt reiterated to MSNBC that it would be on a case-by-case basis.
Evidence has emerged suggesting the presence of numerous FBI operatives within the January 6 crowd; some were charged but were released early, or charges were dropped.
Testimony from former FBI Assistant Director Steven D’Antuono revealed that the agency had so many confidential human sources (CHS) at the Capitol that day, they couldn’t even keep track of them all.
BREAKING BIG: House Judiciary Committee Republicans – FBI LOST COUNT of How Many Paid Informants They Had in the Trump Crowd on January 6! via @gatewaypundit https://t.co/8CNKntC3HG
— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) September 19, 2023
This revelation has fueled claims that the so-called “insurrection” was a Deep State setup designed to discredit Trump and his supporters.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of government operatives infiltrated the protests at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The Gateway Pundit has reached out to Trump's campaign for a comment.
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