Story · January 20, 2025

Trump Issues Jan. 6 Pardons, Commutations on First Day Back in Office

Jan. 6 amnesty Confidence 5/5
★★★★★Fuckup rating 5/5
Five-alarm fuckup Ranked from 1 to 5 stars based on the scale of the screwup and fallout.

Donald Trump used his first day back in office on Jan. 20, 2025, to wipe away or reduce punishment for Jan. 6 defendants with a proclamation aimed at cases tied to the Capitol attack. The order commuted the sentences of 14 named defendants, including Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, David Moerschel, Joseph Hackett, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Dominic Pezzola, and Jeremy Bertino.

The same proclamation granted a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. It also directed the attorney general to pursue dismissal with prejudice of pending indictments for conduct related to those events. The Justice Department’s pardon records and the White House proclamation both reflect the Jan. 20, 2025 date and the scope of the clemency order.

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