SETS THE STANDARD FOR POLITICAL REPORTING. DONATE Menu Image Show Search Trump: Day 2 Day 1 executive orders Ohio State beats Notre Dame Dr. Anthony Fauci pardon Winter storms Politics Trump grants sweeping pardon of Jan. 6 defendants, including rioters who violently attacked police President Donald Trump pardons more than 1,500 of his supporters charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including people who assaulted police, using his clemency powers on his first day in office. Read More By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Updated 5:12 PM GMT+6, January 21, 2025 Share WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, including people convicted of assaulting police officers, using his clemency powers on his first day back in office to undo the massive prosecution of the unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. Trump’s action, just hours after his return to the White House on Monday, paves the way for the release from prison of people found guilty of violent attacks on police, as well as leaders of far-right extremist groups convicted of failed plots to keep the Republican in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden. The pardons are a culmination of Trump’s yearslong campaign to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 attack, which left more than 100 police officers injured as the angry mob of Trump supporters — some armed with poles, bats and bear spray — overwhelmed law enforcement, shattered windows and sent lawmakers and aides running into hiding. While pardons were expected, the speed and the scope of the clemency amounted to a stunning dismantling of the Justice Department’s effort to hold participants accountable over what has been described as one of the darkest days in the country’s history. Trump also ordered the attorney general to seek the dismissal of roughly 450 cases that are pending before judges stemming from the largest investigation in Justice Department history. Related Stories Casting the rioters as “patriots” and “hostages,” Trump has claimed they were unfairly treated by the Justice Department, which also charged him with federal crimes in two cases he contends were politically motivated. Trump said the pardons will end “a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years” and begin “a process of national reconciliation.” SETS THE STANDARD FOR POLITICAL REPORTING. DONATE Menu Image Show Search Trump: Day 2 Day 1 executive orders Ohio State beats Notre Dame Dr. Anthony Fauci pardon Winter storms Politics Trump grants sweeping pardon of Jan. 6 defendants, including rioters who violently attacked police President Donald Trump pardons more than 1,500 of his supporters charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including people who assaulted police, using his clemency powers on his first day in office. Read More By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Updated 5:12 PM GMT+6, January 21, 2025 Share WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, including people convicted of assaulting police officers, using his clemency powers on his first day back in office to undo the massive prosecution of the unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. Trump’s action, just hours after his return to the White House on Monday, paves the way for the release from prison of people found guilty of violent attacks on police, as well as leaders of far-right extremist groups convicted of failed plots to keep the Republican in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden. The pardons are a culmination of Trump’s yearslong campaign to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 attack, which left more than 100 police officers injured as the angry mob of Trump supporters — some armed with poles, bats and bear spray — overwhelmed law enforcement, shattered windows and sent lawmakers and aides running into hiding. While pardons were expected, the speed and the scope of the clemency amounted to a stunning dismantling of the Justice Department’s effort to hold participants accountable over what has been described as one of the darkest days in the country’s history. Advertisement Trump also ordered the attorney general to seek the dismissal of roughly 450 cases that are pending before judges stemming from the largest investigation in Justice Department history. Related Stories Hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions are in limbo as DC court awaits Trump's return Hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions are in limbo as DC court awaits Trump's return Judges hand down what could be last punishments for Jan. 6 rioters before Trump's promised pardons Judges hand down what could be last punishments for Jan. 6 rioters before Trump's promised pardons Top DC prosecutor: Trump pardons couldn't erase impact of Capitol riot convictions Top DC prosecutor: Trump pardons couldn't erase impact of Capitol riot convictions Casting the rioters as “patriots” and “hostages,” Trump has claimed they were unfairly treated by the Justice Department, which also charged him with federal crimes in two cases he contends were politically motivated. Trump said the pardons will end “a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years” and begin “a process of national reconciliation.” 0:00 / 56 AP AUDIO: Trump grants sweeping pardon of Jan. 6 defendants, including rioters who violently attacked police AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports on pardons for Capitol rioters. The pardons were met with elation from Trump supporters and lawyers for the Jan. 6 defendants. Trump supporters gathered late Monday in the cold outside the Washington jail, where more than a dozen defendants were being held before the pardons. Image Supporters of President Donald Trump gather outside the DC Central Detention Facility, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Read More Image Police and media gather outside the DC Central Detention Facility, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Read More Advertisement “We are deeply thankful for President Trump for his actions today,” said James Lee Bright, an attorney who represented Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was serving an 18-year prison sentence after being convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes. It’s unclear how quickly the defendants may be released from prison. An attorney for Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys national chairman who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, said he expected his client to be released from prison Monday night. “This marks a pivotal moment in our client’s life, and it symbolizes a turning point for our nation,” attorney Nayib Hassan said in a statement. “We are optimistic for the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, embracing new possibilities and opportunities.” Democrats slammed the move to extend the pardons to violent rioters, many of whose crimes were captured on camera and broadcast on live TV. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution.”