Trump Pardons Nearly 1,600 January 6 Insurrectionists on First Day of Second Term

In his first hours back in office, President Trump signed a blanket clemency order pardoning nearly 1,500 people convicted of or charged with crimes related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, with an additional 14 Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders receiving sentence commutations. Pardoned individuals included those convicted of assaulting police officers, using deadly weapons, and seditious conspiracy. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, Proud Boys leaders Ethan Nordean and Joseph Biggs, and first Capitol breacher Dominic Pezzola all received commutations. Over 600 rioters had been convicted of assaulting law enforcement; more than 170 used deadly weapons. The mass pardon signaled that violence against Congress and the Capitol carried no lasting legal consequence under Trump.