Trump's pardons of Capitol rioters spark contrasting reactions

WASHINGTON: Sweeping pardons of Capitol rioters by US President Donald Trump drew starkly contrasting reactions on Tuesday, largely embraced by his Republican supporters and vehemently condemned by Democrats.

Former Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi denounced as "shameful" Trump's pardons of participants in the January 6, 2021 attack on the congressional session held to certify Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.

"The president's actions are 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," Pelosi said.

Michael Fanone, a former Washington police officer who was repeatedly shocked with a Taser and badly beaten by members of the pro-Trump mob, said he has been "betrayed by my country."

"And I've been betrayed by those that supported Donald Trump," Fanone told CNN. "The leader of the Republican Party pardoned hundreds of violent cop assaulters. Six individuals who assaulted me as I did my job on January 6... will now walk free."

But the pardons were welcomed by January 6 defendants and their Republican backers.

Jacob Chansley, the "QAnon Shaman" who became one of the faces of the Capitol riot because of his red, white and blue face paint, bare chest and unusual horned headgear, welcomed the pardon in a post on X.

"I GOT A PARDON BABY! THANK YOU PRESIDENT TRUMP!!!" said Chansley. "J6ers are getting released & JUSTICE HAS COME..."

"God bless President Trump!!!" said far-right Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene.

"It's finally over. J6'ers are being released," Greene said on X. "Never forget what the Democrats did."

'Bad idea'

Trump, hours after being sworn in on Monday, granted the pardons to more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol including those convicted of assaulting police officers.

He described them as "hostages" and ordered that all pending criminal cases against Capitol riot defendants be dropped.

Not all Republican lawmakers were as ecstatic as Greene about the blanket pardons.

Anybody who is "convicted of assault on a police officer -- I can't get there at all. I think it was a bad idea," Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told Spectrum News.

Other Republicans who had advised against pardoning those convicted of assaulting police officers were silent, including Vice President JD Vance, who just a week ago told Fox News "if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned."

At a press conference later Tuesday, Trump said "sure" when asked by a reporter if he would agree it is "never acceptable to assault police officers."

But when the reporter pressed further, citing examples, Trump said "we'll take a look at everything," before arguing that the US justice system prioritised charging political opponents over criminals such as murderers.

Among those pardoned was David Dempsey, 37, a California man who pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers and was described by prosecutors as one of the "most violent" members of the pro-Trump mob.

Dempsey used his "hands, feet, flag poles, crutches, pepper spray, broken pieces of furniture, and anything else he could get his hands on, as weapons against the police," prosecutors said.

Dempsey had been serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Also receiving a pardon was Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for directing a military-style assault on the Capitol.

The pardons were celebrated in posts on Proud Boys Telegram channels, with several chapters using them as recruiting tools and others volunteering to help enforce Trump's pledge to deport millions of migrants.

Stewart Rhodes, the leader of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, was also among those released after his 18-year prison sentence was commuted to time served. Both Tarrio and Rhodes had been convicted of seditious conspiracy.

"I feel vindicated," Rhodes told reporters later, outside a Washington prison where more Capitol rioters were still being held. "We did the right thing."

The Capitol assault followed a fiery speech by then-president Trump to tens of thousands of his supporters near the White House in which he repeated his false claims that he won the 2020 race. He then encouraged the crowd to march on Congress.

Trump was charged with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

But the case never made it to trial, and was dropped following Trump's November election victory under the Justice Department's policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.