📢Trump’s January 6 Pardons Reward Violence and Undermine the Rule of Law
As the January 6 anniversary approaches, we confront the truth: Donald Trump incited an insurrection, then rewarded nearly 1,600 rioters with pardons—many of whom went on to commit violent crimes.
Trump’s January 6 Pardons Betray Law Enforcement and the Rule of Law
Friends, as we approach the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, we must be clear about what that day was—and what it continues to mean for our nation. January 6 was not a protest. It was a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, our democracy, and the rule of law, incited by Donald Trump in an effort to overturn the will of the voters and stop the peaceful transfer of power.
That day, a mob stormed the Capitol with the explicit goal of disrupting Congress as it certified a lawful election. They smashed windows, erected gallows, chanted threats against elected officials, and brutally assaulted law enforcement officers. More than 140 police officers were seriously injured defending our democracy, including members of the United States Capitol Police. Several later lost their lives, their deaths linked to the trauma of that day. Their bravery—and the courage of all who stood the line—prevented a constitutional crisis from becoming something far worse.
Yet in the years since, Republicans have worked relentlessly to whitewash January 6, recasting insurrectionists as “patriots” and minimizing the violence that nearly derailed American democracy. That effort reached its most dangerous and lawless point when Trump, on the first day of his second term, issued sweeping pardons to nearly 1,600 individuals involved in the Capitol attack.
These were not symbolic acts of mercy. They were deliberate choices to reward criminal behavior and erase accountability.
Among those pardoned were individuals convicted of or later linked to some of the most serious crimes imaginable—conspiracy to murder FBI agents, child abuse, sexual assault, kidnapping, drunk driving resulting in death, domestic violence, and threats against public officials. At least 33 people pardoned for their role in January 6 have since been convicted of, charged with, or arrested for additional crimes. This pattern is not incidental. It is the foreseeable consequence of signaling that violence in the service of political power will be excused.
Trump once promised “law and order.” Instead, he delivered impunity. While police officers who defended the Capitol still carry physical and emotional scars, the people who beat them with flagpoles, metal pipes, and baseball bats walk free—and in some cases are celebrated.
The message is chilling: attack democracy, and you won’t face consequences if your violence serves the correct political agenda.
This is how democracies erode—not all at once, but through repeated acts of normalization. When political violence is excused, when the rule of law is selectively applied, and when loyalty tests replace accountability, the foundations of a free society begin to crack.
We cannot allow that to happen.
Remembering January 6 is not about the past—it is about the future. It is about honoring the officers who upheld their oath, defending the Constitution, and rejecting the dangerous lie that power justifies criminality. Democracy cannot survive if lawlessness is rewarded from the highest office in the land.
We must demand better. We must demand accountability. And we must make it clear—now and always—that no one is above the law.
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Call your member of Congress at (202) 224-3121:
Hello, my name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent from [CITY/ZIP]. I’m calling to urge [Senator/Representative ___] to immediately oppose and act to stop the illegal U.S. military operation in Venezuela. This war was launched without congressional authorization and violates the Constitution, international law, and the will of the American people. I’m asking you to reassert Congress’s war powers, demand an immediate halt to U.S. military operations, reject any attempt to seize Venezuela’s oil, and support a peaceful, Venezuelan-led transition of power rooted in diplomacy and the rule of law. No president is a king. No war should be waged without Congress.
Thank you.
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Additional January 6 Resources
Five years after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former January 6th Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson and House Democrats will hold an unofficial hearing featuring testimony from former law enforcement, state officials and Americans who witnessed the attack.
January 6, 2026 at 10:00 A.M. EST
WHO
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Former January 6th Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson
Former Select Committee Members
Current House Members
Expert Witnesses
VIEW LIVESTREAM LINK HERE
House Democratic Leader Jeffries’ Dear Colleague on January 6th Five-Year Anniversary
House Judiciary Democrats: Ahead of 5th Anniversary of January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, Judiciary Democrats Release New Reports Focused on the Careers of the Coup Plotters, the Rioters and the Democracy Defenders
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Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests), People Power United
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Makes me sick. Why was Trump allowed to get away with Jan 6th and then go on to be our president? What is wrong with people who voted for him?
Just listen to Jack Smith congressional testimony. Wow!