Trump’s Most Dangerous January 6 Pardons Are Free
Donald Trump on Monday pardoned or commuted the sentences of every single person criminally charged for the January 6 insurrection. Known violent extremists are now walking free.
Trump’s sweeping pardon affects more than 1,500 defendants—including some of the most notorious.
Enrique Tarrio, the former national leader of the Proud Boys who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy over his role in planning January 6, is now a free man. So is Guy Reffitt, a Three Percenter who touted a gun and helped lead the rioters to the Capitol. The baseball bat–wielding Jake Lang is also free after continuing his alt-right activities from prison. Julian Khater, who pepper-sprayed Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick in the face, was similarly freed. Sicknick died the day after the attack.
Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola, who stormed through a shattered window in the Senate building, was pardoned of his 10-year sentence. Fellow Proud Boys Ethan Nordean and Joe Biggs, who coordinated breaches of police lines, were also pardoned.
A notable commutation was Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, whom a federal judge described as “frightening.”
Trump delivered quickly on a core campaign promise, issuing the pardons within hours of his swearing in. This is a massive level of vindication for a group who viewed themselves as the victims the entire time.