One Jan. 6 rioter is rejecting MAGA culture—and a pardon from Trump
Pamela Hemphill, a self-described “ex-MAGA Granny,” said she would refuse clemency should Donald Trump give out blanket pardons to Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
“I’m not going to be bullied by MAGA anymore, as those who went as far as calling my Probation Officer trying to get me in trouble backfired on them, thinking I would stop speaking out, just give me more confidence to continue!” she wrote on X. “I will refuse a pardon from felon Trump!”
Hemphill is a retired substance abuse counselor who was one of many to get wrapped up in the rage bait of MAGA culture.
Taking to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the Idaho native pushed past police barricades three times during the riots, cheering on fellow insurrectionists as they broke into the rotunda.
According to federal documents regarding Hemphill’s case, the FBI obtained some of her past social media posts that call for “war” ahead of the insurrection.
Hemphill was sentenced to two months in jail with six months of probation, and she was ordered to pay $500 in restitution.
Following her arrest, Hemphill has been outspoken about her escape from the shroud of MAGA culture and has been adamant about owning her actions on Jan. 6.
In 2023, Trump attempted to politicize Hemphill’s case, writing on Truth Social that she received more jail time than Hunter Biden. But the remorseful granny lambasted Trump for “using” her sentencing as a political ploy.
“I pleaded guilty because I was guilty!" she wrote on X.
Trump has made multiple promises to deliver presidential pardons to everyone who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. With more than 1,500 people convicted, it’s unclear how many pardons Trump plans to grant and if his overreaching graciousness will be extended to the nearly 200 violent offenders.
Trump hasn’t specifically addressed his plans, but he said in a December interview with NBC News that he’s “inclined to pardon many” right after his inauguration. But he did say that those who “got out of control” might not receive clemency.
On Sunday, incoming Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News that violent offenders should “obviously” not receive a pardon. Of course, he quickly walked back this statement following the interview.
“I assure you, we care about people unjustly locked up,” Vance wrote on X. “Yes, that includes people provoked and it includes people who got a garbage trial.”
Garbage trials aside, some violent offenders like Jake Lang, who is accused of beating police officers outside of the Capitol, are hopeful.
“Hey its Jake Lang!! The January 6 Political Prisoner!! I’ll be sending you IMPORTANT updates on this number,” he said in a text obtained by the Guardian. “I’ll be home VERY SOON!!! God bless!!”
And, like Lang, many are optimistic about their fates given Trump’s apparent selective memory regarding what happened on Jan. 6, 2021.
In September, Trump said during a presser that people who participated in the riots were “treated very unfairly,” and he incorrectly claimed that “nobody was killed.”
Seven people died in connection to the attack: Ashli Babbitt, Kevin D. Green, Rosanne Boyland, Benjamin Philips, Officer Brian D. Sicknick, Officer Jeffrey Smith, and Officer Howard S. Liebengood.
And while he continues to claim that it wasn’t as violent as the media makes it out to be, sentences are still being doled out to rioters as of this past November.
Moreover, FBI officials released new information on the suspect responsible for placing pipe bombs outside of the Capitol the night before the insurrection. Police officials are also concerned about Trump’s potential sweeping pardons and the effect they would have on the treatment of first responders.
“What message does that send? What message does that send to police officers across this nation, if someone doesn’t think that a conviction for an assault or worse against a police officer is something that should be upheld, given what we ask police officers to do every day?” Chief J. Thomas Manger asked.
Trump takes office in one week, and the fates of the more than 1,500 people who protested, beat, and attempted to bomb the Capitol lie in his hands.