Will Trump pardon those accused of storming the Capitol?

More than 1,500 people have been charged with the storming of the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021, and more than 200 of them have been convicted so far. Donald Trump, who trivialized the excess of violence at the time, sees them as “patriots” and “political prisoners” – now they can hope for the mercy of the newly elected US President. And some of the defendants are already trying to delay their trials until after Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

“I’m inclined to pardon a lot of them,” Trump said during the campaign. He recently described January 6, which went down in history as a black day for US democracy, as a “day of love.” Armed with flagpoles, baseball bats and stun guns, Trump supporters attacked the headquarters of Congress. They wanted to use force to prevent parliamentarians from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Republican Trump in the 2020 election.

More than 140 police officers were injured in the hours-long battles with the Capitol Police. Shortly before the attack, Trump had incited the crowd in a speech with his lie about election fraud and told his fanatical supporters to “fight like hell.” Among the perpetrators were many members of right-wing extremist militias such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Now the attackers from back then are trying to use Trump’s re-election for their own benefit. 21-year-old Christopher Carnell from the state of North Carolina, for example, requested that a hearing in his case be postponed in view of Trump’s “numerous promises of clemency.” Carnell expects “to be exempt from prosecution when the new government takes office,” his lawyer says. However, the judge rejected the request.

Another defendant, Jaimee Avery, requested that her sentencing hearing, scheduled for this Friday, be postponed until after January 20th. “President-elect Trump, who played no significant role in the events of January 6, 2021, has repeatedly publicly stated that he will pardon the protesters if he wins the presidency,” her attorney argued. In this case too, the judge rejected the application.

Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by the Justice Department, has charged Trump with conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results. This indictment also concerns Trump’s role in the storming of the Capitol. So far, however, there has been no trial.

And after Trump’s election victory, the case is now expected to be dropped – as is another federal case involving Trump’s taking secret government documents to his private estate in Florida. According to information from CNN and NBC News, Smith and the Justice Department have already discussed closing the cases because the long-standing practice precludes the criminal prosecution of a sitting president.

According to the latest information from the public prosecutor’s office, 1,561 people have been charged in connection with the storming of the Capitol. More than 940 of them pleaded guilty and 210 were convicted. Those convicted also include leading members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Enrique Tarrio, former head of the Proud Boys, is serving a 22-year prison sentence for leading the attack. The founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, is in prison for 18 years.