President Donald Trump took over Sworn oath At the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., where a crowd of his supporters revolted on January 6, 2021, during the last presidential handover of power.

Hours after being sworn in on Monday, Trump pardoned about 1,500 of those supporters, upending the largest prosecution in the history of the US Justice Department.

With the stroke of his pen, he released people caught on camera brutally attacking police, as well as leaders of far-right groups convicted of orchestrating violent plots to stop the peaceful transition of power after Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.

Let’s take a look at January 6 and who Trump pardoned this week:

What happened on January 6, 2021?

Thousands of people attacked the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election, fueled by Trump’s false claims that the election was “rigged” against him.

Just before the riot, the Republican president held a rally in Washington, D.C., during which he objected to the election results and urged his supporters to “fight like hell.”

More than 2,000 people entered the Capitol, smashed windows, ransacked offices, defecated in public, and searched for members of Congress.

The attack was ultimately unsuccessful, but it raised alarm bells about the region’s stability American democracy and the growing influence of anti-democratic elements within the Republican Party.

About 1,500 people were arrested for their involvement in the Capitol attack, and prison sentences were issued in the years that followed.

After an 18-month investigation, a US Congressional committee released nearly 850 pages a report In December 2022 after the committee recommended Criminal charges Against Trump himself for his role in the attack.

“The main cause of the events of January 6 was one man, former President Donald Trump, who was followed by many others. None of the events From January 6 “It could have happened without him,” the committee said.

Who pardoned Trump?

All but a few of those imprisoned in connection with the January 6 riots have been granted “full and unconditional pardon,” according to a statement. advertisement Trump signed it.

“I further direct the Attorney General to pursue the dismissal of all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct related to the events that occurred at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, with prejudice to the government,” the statement read.

The most prominent figures imprisoned for their actions on January 6, 2021 include key members of the right-wing groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

Enrique Tarriothe former leader of the Proud Boys who was sentenced to prison 22 years in prison In September 2023 for his role in the riots, he is among those pardoned. His sentence was the longest in relation to the attack. In his decision, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly described Tarrio as the “ultimate leader” of the January 6 plot.

Another figure from the riots who was pardoned was the “Qanun Shaman.” Jake Angeli Chansleythe troublemaker nicknamed the Horned Hood, who was sentenced to 41 months in prison. He took to Announce. “I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Those pardoned also included more than 300 people who pleaded guilty to either assaulting or obstructing law enforcement, including 69 who admitted assaulting police with a dangerous or deadly weapon.

Nearly 300 of the rioters had ties to 46 far-right groups or movements, according to a study by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, a University of Maryland-based network of researchers that tracks and analyzes such violent incidents.

Many of the attacks were captured on surveillance or body camera footage that showed rioters engaging in hand-to-hand combat with police as officers fought desperately to repel the angry crowd.

Who among us has not received a full pardon?

In the announcement posted on the White House website, Trump released 14 Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders who were serving long prison sentences, but did not pardon them in full. Their convictions will remain on record.

The only ones whose sentences were reduced were:

• Stuart Rhodes: Founder of the Oath Keepers, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for organizing armed members to storm the Capitol
• Kelly Meggs: Leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers, who was also sentenced for seditious conspiracy
• Kenneth Harrelson: An Oath Keepers member was convicted of “obstructing official proceedings, conspiring to prevent an officer from performing his duties, and tampering with documents or procedures.”
• Thomas Caldwell: A fellow Oath Keepers and U.S. Navy veteran was convicted of seditious conspiracy for helping plan the riot
• Jessica Watkins: A member of the Oath Keepers and Army veteran was convicted of organizing and leading a group to the Capitol and sentenced to six years in prison.
• Roberto Minuta: An Oath Keepers member sentenced to 36 months in prison and 36 months supervised release for seditious conspiracy and other charges
• Edward Vallejo: Affiliate with the Oath Keepers but not a member was serving 36 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release for seditious conspiracy
• David Murschel: An Oath Keepers member sentenced to 36 months in prison and 36 months supervised release for seditious conspiracy and other charges
• Joseph Hackett: An Oath Keepers member sentenced to 42 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for seditious conspiracy
• Ethan Nordean: A prominent member of the Proud Boys known as the group’s “War General,” who was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 36 months of supervised release on multiple felony charges
• Joseph Biggs: Proud Boys organizer sentenced to 17 years in prison and 36 months of supervised release for seditious conspiracy and other charges
• Zachary Riehl: Former Proud Boys chapter president who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for leading the group’s actions and sentenced to 15 years in prison and 36 months of supervised release
• Dominic Pezzola: Proud Boys member known for using stolen police riot shield to smash Capitol windows sentenced to 10 years in prison and 36 months of supervised release
• Jeremy Bertino: A former member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and cooperated with investigators

What was the reaction to Trump’s pardon?

As with all things Trump-related, much of the reaction to his pardon came along partisan lines.

The White House announcement announcing the pardon said the action “ends a grave national injustice committed against the American people over the past four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.”

Trump defended the pardon on Tuesday, saying the defendants had “already spent years in prison” in conditions the president described as “disgusting” and “inhumane.”

Many Trump supporters praised the pardon on right-wing online forums. Some threatened those who supported the prosecutions.

On the pro-Trump website Patriots.Win, at least two dozen people expressed hope that Democrats, judges or law enforcement connected to the January 6 cases would be executed. They called for human rights activists or policemen to be executed, “beaten to death,” “crushed in wood chippers,” or “thrown from helicopters.”

“Get the entire federal judiciary on the field. “Then make them listen and watch as the judges are beaten to death,” one wrote. “Cut off their heads and put them on pikes outside” the Ministry of Justice.

Several experts said a pushback on rioters who committed violent and nonviolent crimes, including assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy, would likely embolden the Proud Boys and other far-right groups such as white supremacists who have publicly called for political violence.

“They will feel like they can do whatever they want,” Julie Farnham, who was assistant director of intelligence for the U.S. Capitol Police during the Jan. 6 riot, said of far-right groups.

“They will feel they can because there is no leadership in the United States trying to stop this,” said Farnham, who now runs a private investigation agency.

Two police officers who were beaten while trying to repel the crowd said the pardon was a chilling sign that loyalty to Trump was now more important than the rule of law.

“It’s outrageous,” Michael Fanone, a former Metropolitan Police officer in Washington, D.C., told Reuters. Fanone suffered a heart attack and a brain injury when he was beaten, sprayed with chemical irritants and shocked with a stun gun during the violence that occurred on January 6.

Fanone, 44, who served 20 years as a police officer, said the pardon would inspire other supporters to commit violent acts “because they think Donald Trump will grant them a pardon.” Why don’t they believe that?

What do pardoned prisoners say?

After being released Tuesday from federal custody, Rhodes and other defendants gathered on Jan. 6 in frigid temperatures outside the District of Columbia Jail, where a small number of defendants remained behind bars. Some supporters of the Capitol rioters danced while songs like Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak played over a loudspeaker.

Rhodes continued to push the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, and claimed that those charged in the Capitol riot were denied a fair trial in Washington, D.C. Rhodes said he had “full faith” all along that Trump would pardon the defendants on January 6.

Angeli-Chansley took to social media platform X to celebrate after the pardon: “Thank you, President Trump!”

Last December, Kevin Loftus was sentenced to six months in prison for violating the terms of his probation after attempting to travel abroad to join the Russian army and fight against Ukraine. He said he would receive a pardon from Trump.

“I’m just a working man, mate. People like us don’t get a presidential pardon.”