US President Donald Trump issued a clemency order granting clemency to all more than 1,500 people accused of crimes in the US Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, and also commuted the sentences of 14 others.
Trump’s supporters began leaving prison on Tuesday after he used his clemency powers on his first day back in office to back away from the wide-ranging prosecution of the unprecedented attack on the seat of American democracy.
Trump’s pardons for those charged in the US Capitol riot angered lawmakers who were at risk, as well as some of the 140 police officers who were injured in the attack four years ago, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to stop Congress from Ratification of Joe Biden’s pardon. Victory 2020.
“My country has betrayed me,” Michael Fanone, a former officer with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department who was seriously injured during the riot, told CNN on Monday. After Trump’s announcement. “Tonight, six individuals who assaulted me while I was doing my job on January 6, as did hundreds of other law enforcement officers, will now be released.”
Trump’s pardons extended from people who only committed misdemeanors like trespassing to those who assaulted police officers and the much smaller group that plotted an assault on democracy.
Stuart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers militia whose 18-year prison sentence was commuted, was released shortly after midnight Tuesday in Cumberland, Maryland. Rhodes got into a waiting car and was taken away in the early morning hours.
Stuart Rhodes speaks with the press after his release last night after spending the last three years in Cumberland, Maryland at the Federal Correctional Institution on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Rhodes, who is wearing an eye patch after a gun incident, did not enter the US Capitol on January 6, but was convicted of planning to use force against Congress to prevent the certification of the election. The judge agreed with the Justice Department that Rhodes’ actions should be punished as “terrorism,” increasing the recommended sentence under federal guidelines.
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He was also accused of helping to store firearms at a hotel in neighboring Virginia that could be transported across the river to Washington, D.C.
Rhodes was one of 14 leaders of the Jan. 6 riot whom Trump released from prison early, commuting their sentences without a full pardon. This means they will still face some restrictions, including a ban on the possession of firearms. He will have spent just over three years in custody after his arrest in January 2022.
Several Oath Keepers associates were detained in Rhodes several months after their arrest in 2021. The list included Kelly Meggs, the head of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers who was sentenced to 12 years in prison. His wife, Connie Meggs, was also pardoned for her role in the Capitol attack.
Oath Keepers partners Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell received commutations.
Watkins, a transgender woman who spoke openly during the trial about the difficulties she faced with her identity while serving in the military, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison, while Harrelson received four years. Caldwell, who was not an official member of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced earlier this month to prison on one count of tampering with evidence.
Oathkeepers Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Joseph Hackett and David Murschel also had their prison sentences commuted to between three and four and a half years.
Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the Proud Boys, is expected to be released on Tuesday His family. He is expected to arrive at Miami International Airport on Tuesday, January 21 at 6:30 p.m
His family said in a statement: “We thank you for being with us. The golden age has arrived.”
Tarrio’s lawyer, Nayeb Hassan, also issued a statement saying: “This represents a pivotal moment in our client’s life, and symbolizes a turning point for our nation. We are optimistic about the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, and embrace new possibilities and opportunities.”
Tarrio was not present at the Capitol on January 6, but was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in planning the attack. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison in May 2023, the longest of more than 1,100 Capitol riot cases, for organizing his far-right group’s attack on the US Capitol.
Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean (18 years in prison), Joseph Biggs (17 years), Zachary Ryall (15 years), Dominic Pezzola (10 years) and Jeremy Bertino (three years) were among those who received commutations.
Trump also directed the US Attorney General to drop all pending cases related to the riot.
“These people are devastated,” Trump said shortly after returning to the Oval Office for the first time since the end of last year. “What they did to these people is heinous.”
More than 1,000 people pleaded guilty to federal charges, including 327 who pleaded guilty to felonies and 682 to misdemeanor crimes. Another 221 were convicted after trial, according to US Justice Department figures.
According to the data, about 667 defendants were sent to prison.
Among those pardoned is David Dempsey, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison and has been in detention since August 2021.
Prosecutors said Dempsey stomped on police officers’ heads, swung poles at officers defending a tunnel, hit an officer in the head with a metal crutch, and attacked police with pepper spray and broken furniture. He was also convicted of assault at a rally in 2019.
Trump also faced criminal charges over his efforts to undo his 2020 election loss, a case that sought to hold him responsible for the violence at the Capitol. The charges were dropped after he won the November 5, 2024 election.
In January 2022, Trump mentioned the possibility of pardoning supporters who participated in the deadly January 6 storming of the US Capitol if he returned to the White House.
“If I run and win, as of January 6th, we will treat these people fairly,” Trump said during a rally in Conroe, Texas. “If it requires amnesty, we will grant them amnesty because they are being treated unfairly.”
During his first presidency, Trump used his pardon power to pardon or commute the sentences of several of his political allies, friends, and associates, including his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon; his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; his former national security adviser Michael Flynn; and long-time friend and political ally Roger Stone.
—With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
