A mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters invade the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
Trump Says Freeing Insurrectionists Would Be One of His 'First Acts'
Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to pardon those who took part in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday night that freeing the people who were imprisoned for their involvement in the January 6th insurrection would be one of his "first acts" if he returns to the White House.
"My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6th Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!" Trump posted.
Trump says one of his “first acts” if elected president would be to free Jan. 6 rioters from jail time for crimes in connection with trying to stop the certification of the 2020 result. pic.twitter.com/IX6yZbtdtu
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 12, 2024
This isn't the first time Trump has said he would free the prisoners, but him saying it would be one of his "first acts" indicates that he sees it as a priority. He's also been referring to the prisoners as "hostages" in recent months.
The prisoners have been charged with everything from assault to seditious conspiracy.
"Trump is out there saying he's going to pardon people who engaged in political violence, who bloodied and wounded and hospitalized 150 of our officers," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said in January.
"We better believe him. I mean, he pardoned Roger Stone, a political criminal; he pardoned Michael Flynn, his disgraced former national security adviser," Raskin added. "Now he wants to pardon the shock troops of January 6, so he will have this roving band of people willing to commit political violence and insurrection for him—how dangerous is that?”
Three states have attempted to remove Trump from the ballot due to his involvement in the January 6th insurrection—on the grounds that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies him—but the Supreme Court ruled last week that Congress would have to act for that to happen.
The Supreme Court will rule on whether Trump has presidential immunity in the January 6th case in Washington, D.C. next month.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday night that freeing the people who were imprisoned for their involvement in the January 6th insurrection would be one of his "first acts" if he returns to the White House.
"My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6th Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!" Trump posted.
Trump says one of his “first acts” if elected president would be to free Jan. 6 rioters from jail time for crimes in connection with trying to stop the certification of the 2020 result. pic.twitter.com/IX6yZbtdtu
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 12, 2024
This isn't the first time Trump has said he would free the prisoners, but him saying it would be one of his "first acts" indicates that he sees it as a priority. He's also been referring to the prisoners as "hostages" in recent months.
The prisoners have been charged with everything from assault to seditious conspiracy.
"Trump is out there saying he's going to pardon people who engaged in political violence, who bloodied and wounded and hospitalized 150 of our officers," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said in January.
"We better believe him. I mean, he pardoned Roger Stone, a political criminal; he pardoned Michael Flynn, his disgraced former national security adviser," Raskin added. "Now he wants to pardon the shock troops of January 6, so he will have this roving band of people willing to commit political violence and insurrection for him—how dangerous is that?”
Three states have attempted to remove Trump from the ballot due to his involvement in the January 6th insurrection—on the grounds that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies him—but the Supreme Court ruled last week that Congress would have to act for that to happen.
The Supreme Court will rule on whether Trump has presidential immunity in the January 6th case in Washington, D.C. next month.
Former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday night that freeing the people who were imprisoned for their involvement in the January 6th insurrection would be one of his "first acts" if he returns to the White House.
"My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6th Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!" Trump posted.
Trump says one of his “first acts” if elected president would be to free Jan. 6 rioters from jail time for crimes in connection with trying to stop the certification of the 2020 result. pic.twitter.com/IX6yZbtdtu
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 12, 2024
This isn't the first time Trump has said he would free the prisoners, but him saying it would be one of his "first acts" indicates that he sees it as a priority. He's also been referring to the prisoners as "hostages" in recent months.
The prisoners have been charged with everything from assault to seditious conspiracy.
"Trump is out there saying he's going to pardon people who engaged in political violence, who bloodied and wounded and hospitalized 150 of our officers," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said in January.
"We better believe him. I mean, he pardoned Roger Stone, a political criminal; he pardoned Michael Flynn, his disgraced former national security adviser," Raskin added. "Now he wants to pardon the shock troops of January 6, so he will have this roving band of people willing to commit political violence and insurrection for him—how dangerous is that?”
Three states have attempted to remove Trump from the ballot due to his involvement in the January 6th insurrection—on the grounds that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies him—but the Supreme Court ruled last week that Congress would have to act for that to happen.
The Supreme Court will rule on whether Trump has presidential immunity in the January 6th case in Washington, D.C. next month.