Trump's decision to pardon Capitol rioters surprises even his team
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Trump pardoned about 1,500 individuals involved in the Capitol riot. The decision was made at the last minute and came as a surprise even to his team, Sky News reports.
Despite Trump's long-standing promise to pardon those involved in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, the scale of the pardons was not clear.
In the end, he pardoned approximately 1,500 people, which surprised even his team. Moreover, the President's decision to pardon nearly all of the accused was made just before his inauguration.
Many of those pardoned had been convicted of violent assaults on law enforcement officers, with some carrying weapons such as stun guns and clubs.
Yesterday, Trump pardoned his supporters who attacked the Congress in 2021.
Capitol riot case
On January 6, 2021, the US Congress was going to approve the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden, a Democratic Party representative, was declared the winner.
That day, thousands of Donald Trump's supporters gathered for a rally near the Capitol building, which escalated into riots. Some protesters broke through police lines, attacked the Capitol, and clashed with security, resulting in the deaths of five individuals.
In July 2023, the US Department of Justice charged Trump with three counts related to the Capitol riot. By November, a court sentenced a former State Department employee involved in the attack on Congress to five years in prison.
