One of the first official acts of President Donald Trump’s second term was to pardon nearly 1,500 rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden.
The pardons are a culmination of Trump’s yearslong campaign to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 insurrection, which left more than 100 police officers injured as the angry mob of mostly white and far-right Republican supporters stormed the Capitol building — some armed with poles, bats, guns, knives, and bear spray — overwhelmed law enforcement, shattered windows, and sent lawmakers and aides running into hiding, reported the Associated Press (AP).
The 2021 attacks on the Capitol resulted in at least five deaths, including law enforcement.
“Donald Trump is ushering in a Golden Age for people that break the law and attempt to overthrow the government,” U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer told the AP.
Michael Sozan, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said that Trump’s pardons for convicted Jan. 6 insurrectionists are an assault on the rule of law and a violation of the will of the American people. He crucified Trump in his statement for prioritizing loyalists over promises to reduce the cost of living and improve law and order.
“Today’s pardons send a deplorable signal that our system condones extreme forms of political violence, often spurred by elected leaders hellbent on dismantling necessary guardrails,” said Sozan. “It is now vital that Americans across the ideological spectrum join forces to build a stronger democracy that serves the nation’s best interests—where governmental institutions meet people’s needs and where we reject politicians who place their own interests above the interests of the people.”
Former Capitol Officer Harry Dunn and Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, who are with Courage for America, responded with deep disappointment to the announced pardons.
“Today is another dark day in American history and a continuation of the stain that January 6th left on our nation. I am infuriated, but not surprised in the slightest. We can’t pretend to be shocked because Trump has fulfilled his longstanding promise to pardon the criminals he incited to attack me and my fellow officers,” said Dunn in a statement. “This decision is a betrayal to the officers who were severely injured — and died — as a result of the insurrection. This decision puts Americans at risk as these violent criminals return to their communities. These pardons are a reflection of what abuse of power looks like and what we the people are bound to witness over the next four years. Trump ran for office to avoid accountability for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and provide sanctuary for convicted criminals who were complicit in his efforts. Members of Congress have an obligation to hold him accountable for his extremism, now and in the future, because the future of our democracy depends on it.”
Meanwhile, in a small bright spot for Black history, Biden pardoned a handful of civil rights leaders and advocates as his last presidential act.
Those pardoned included the late Marcus Garvey, who died in 1940 and was convicted of mail fraud in 1923; gun violence prevention advocate Darryl Chambers, who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense; immigration advocate Ravidath “Ravi” Ragbir, who was convicted of a non-violent offense in 2001; former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Don Leonard Scott, who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994 and sentenced to 10 years in prison; and Kemba Smith Pradia, a criminal justice advocate who was previously convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994.
Biden commuted the sentences of two others who were sentenced in the 1990s and whom he credited with remarkable rehabilitation: Robin Peoples and Michelle West, reported Reuters.
FWD.us Executive Director Zoë Towns commended Biden’s latest pardons and commutations. She said that there was a crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity that could not be defended on public health or public safety grounds that fueled already stark racial disparities, and many are still incarcerated on sentences that could not be handed down today.
“These final clemency actions will forever define President Biden’s legacy on justice,” said Towns in a statement. “Too often, our criminal justice reforms only apply to the law going forward, leaving behind the very people and injustices that moved us to change.”