This is a promise from his campaign from which he has not deviated: barely invested, the new American president Donald Trump signed, Monday January 20, at the White House, a decree pardoning more than 1,500 participants in the The assault on the Capitol, the seat of the American Congress, was ransacked on January 6, 2021, to protest against Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. A decision which sparked numerous reactions among the police who had tried to prevent the attack, and had been violently attacked by far-right activists.
On January 6, 2021, as hundreds of radical supporters of Donald Trump infiltrated the headquarters of the US Congress to block the certification of the election results, 150 police officers were injured during the seven-hour siege, during which drawn weapons such as knives, hatchets, batons, or even gas weapons. Police officer Brian D. Sicknick died in hospital the next day following two strokes. Four other police officers also reportedly committed suicide in the months that followed.
“A betrayal”
Brian Sicknick’s brother condemned Donald Trump’s plan to pardon numerous rioters. “Donald Trump and his supporters are not only paying tribute to the murderous mob that killed my brother, they are determined to pardon those responsible,” Craig Sicknick was quoted as saying by ABC News. “This is a betrayal not only of the families and loved ones of those who were injured and killed, but of all Americans.” Craig Sicknick had been at the origin of a petition opposing the pardons, denouncing a way for the rioters “to escape their responsibilities”.
On Monday, a Metropolitan Police officer, Michael Fanone, also reacted to the news on CNN. “I have been betrayed by my country and by those who supported Donald Trump. The only thing that comes to mind is that this is what the American people voted for.” The agent found himself, during the attack, knocked out and injured on the ground, having received several taser shocks in the back of the neck. The crowd also confiscated his ammunition and tried to take away his weapon.
After the attack, the Justice Department and the FBI launched a manhunt that turned out to be the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history. Some 1,600 people have been arrested and charged, with more than 1,270 facing criminal charges following the assault on the Capitol.
According to Justice Department data, about 55 percent of prosecutions filed on Jan. 6 involve minor offenses, including public disorder or property violations. Many of those in the crowd also said they had not intended to infiltrate the Capitol, while there was evidence that the attackers were allowed to enter the building by some elements of the Capitol. police, call back CNN.
Far-right militia figures
The pardon thus benefits all those convicted, with the exception of 14, whose sentence is commuted to a period of prison already served. These are members of the far-right Oath Keepers and Proud Boys movements, including the founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, sentenced to 18 years in prison. All the others, including the former leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, sentenced in September 2023 to 22 years in prison, the heaviest sentence handed down for the assault on the Capitol, receive a full pardon. Pardons do not erase a defendant’s criminal record or overturn a conviction, although the pardon is added to their criminal record, but they do restore the right to own a weapon. “This proclamation ends a grave national injustice inflicted on the American people over the past four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” reads the text of the executive order released by the White House.
Donald Trump was not directly concerned by the courts for these events, although the parliamentary commission of inquiry into January 6, 2021 recommended criminal proceedings against him in December 2022, in particular for calling for rebellion and plotting against American institutions. In order to prevent the members of this commission (in particular elected officials and civil servants) from reprisals from Donald Trump after his return to the White House, Joe Biden himself signed a presidential pardon decree a few hours before ceding power to him. .