The First Action of January 2020: The Case against Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and the Deferred Judgement of the Pardons
14 sentence commutations and the blanket pardons for all other people were issued by Trump. 1,560 individuals were charged with crimes in the month of January.
It was a stunningly symbolic first act of the day. Four years ago, in January, 2020, thousands of supporters of Donald Trump came to DC and besieged the Capitol in hopes of preventing a peaceful transfer of power. The ugly scenes ended with the deaths of five people, more than 140 police officers injured, and Trump leaving Washington in disgrace.
On the campaign trail, Trump regularly featured the stories of Jan. 6 defendants he labeled “hostages” and “patriots.” Loudspeakers at Trump rallies blared a version of the national anthem sung by a choir of incarcerated rioters.
Federal judges in Washington, where the courthouse cafeteria boasts a view of the Capitol dome and the scene of the crime, generally imposed lighter punishments than the DOJ had requested in hundreds of Jan. 6 cases. But they also pushed back hard in their courtrooms against efforts to rewrite the history of that day, amid claims from Trump and his allies that the rioters had been unfairly targeted for prosecution.
The investigation became a priority for former Attorney General Merrick Garland, who told NPR a year after the attack on the Capitol that “every FBI office, almost every U.S. attorney’s office in the country is working on this matter. Thousands of subpoenas, seized and examined electronic devices, huge amount of data, thousands of hours of videos have been issued by us.
But the Justice Department’s case against Trump, for allegedly conspiring to cling to power and deprive millions of Americans of the right to have their votes count in 2020, ended with a whimper.
Jack Smith, the special counsel that brought the case against Trump, said he was forced to drop the case after Trump won the election due to a Department of Justice opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted or tried.
Prior to leaving office, Biden said the pardons were necessary because of the threat of “unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions” by the incoming Trump administration.
Biden said that the pardons should be done before the incoming administration starts to threaten politically motivated prosecutions.
Investigation of the incoming Trump administration’s alleged perpetrators during the January 6 attack on the congressional committee on infectious disease and COVID-19
It is not clear that the incoming Trump administration intends to prosecute the individuals. During her confirmation hearing last week, Pam Bondi mentioned that there wouldn’t be political prosecutions on her watch. Many of Trump’s opponents should be investigated or prosecuted, according to the nominee for FBI director.
Fauci was a leading figure leading the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. An infectious disease specialist at the National Institutes of Health, he encouraged people to wear masks and social distance, but Trump allies accuse him of covering up the alleged real causes of COVID. Trump called Fauci a “disaster” and Fauci has been investigated by congressional Republicans.
Fauci said in a statement that he has been motivated by one goal: to improve the health and lives of humankind.
“I believe and hope that my legacy is that of a dedicated and accomplished physician/scientist and public health official who, with the help of many teams of skilled and distinguished colleagues, saved millions of lives in the United States and around the world,” Fauci said.
During the first term of Trump’s presidency, Milley called him “fascist to the core” in a book by Bob Woodward. Trump said he wanted to be executed.
“Rather than accept accountability, those who perpetrated the January 6th attack have taken every opportunity to undermine and intimidate those who participated in the Select Committee in an attempt to rewrite history, erase the stain of January 6th for partisan gain, and seek revenge, including by threatening criminal prosecutions,” Biden said.
The House select committee was surprised by the pardon. The congressional aide said they were checking out the pardon and how it worked. The announcement didn’t include names or what the pardon was about, causing a lot of confusion. However, the aide, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said staffers were relieved by the news in case the Trump administration did target the committee’s staff.
The panel’s report seems to be the final one. pardons will cover dozens of staffers. The initial section of the panel’s report contained more than 50 names. Consultants and contractors were also listed in the report, but it wasn’t clear if the pardons covered them.
His order included a pardon for Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the Proud Boys, as well as a commutation for former Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, who like Tarrio was convicted for the rarely used charge of seditious conspiracy.
Trump said that his supporters were prosecuted even though they hadn’t been charged with a crime, despite the fact that murderers aren’t charged all over.
Murderers don’t have time. You take a look at some of these [district attorneys]. They chase political opponents, but do not chase people who shoot people in the street.
“Many of them, probably it was the right thing to do, they made a bad choice,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “But anybody who was convicted of assault on a police officer, I just can’t get there at all. I think it was a bad idea.”
“I do not support pardons given to people who engaged in violence on Jan. 6, including assaulting police officers, or breaking windows to get into the Capitol, for example.”
Meanwhile, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski said she was “disappointed” by the decision, adding, “I do fear the message that is sent to these brave men and women that stood by us.”
The day Joe Biden walked free after Trump released all January 6 rioters, with Stewart Rhodes convicted of seditious conspiracy
Weeks later, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the U.S. behind riot barriers, barbed wire, and under the eyes of more than 25,000 national guard troops.
The news about January 6-ers starting to be processed for release was already online before the ink had even been put on the paper. The Proud Boys’ social media accounts were celebrating and the leader of the gang,Gavin Mc Innes, declared that he was going to have a “Party for the Boys” on his show.
According to WIRED, Duarte said that they were anticipating Enrique’s release. “The guys are excited and think that justice will finally come to us,” said Duarte. “Donald Trump knows what it’s like to be on the side of the prosecuted and on the unjust side of things.”
The people who were in the Oval Office on January 6-ers are the epitome of what is wrong with this country, according to Trump. He also floated conspiracy theories that “outside agitators” and the FBI were somehow responsible for the violence that unfolded on January 6. Stewart Rhodes will walk Free after his sentence for seditious conspiracy was commuted.
A pardon and sentence commutations for a far-right gang leader in the presidential riots in Pollock, Louisiana
According to WIRED, Zuny told them that Tarrio would see his brother by 3 pm on Tuesday. He’s been serving his sentence at a federal prison in Pollock, Louisiana.
Hundreds of Capitol rioters will walk free following the release of pardons and sentence commutations issued by newly-inaugurated president Donald Trump.
A man who was the leader of the far-right gang at the time of the insurrection was sentenced to 22 years behind bars. He received a pardon. His co-defendants had their sentences commuted and were released as of Monday.
