The RecordExhibit 2
Pardoned every Jan. 6 defendant
Criticized means: Legal, or a policy choice, but widely condemned.
On his first day back, Trump granted clemency to all 1,500+ people charged over the Capitol riot, including people convicted of assaulting police.
What happened
The pardons and commutations covered defendants filmed attacking officers, plus the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders convicted of seditious conspiracy. He also directed the attorney general to drop roughly 450 pending cases. More than 100 officers were injured on Jan. 6, 2021.
Where it stands
The pardon power is broad, and this was within it. The criticism is about accountability for an attack on the certification of an election, not about legality.
The administration's side
Trump spent years describing the defendants as mistreated and the prosecutions as political, and framed clemency as correcting that.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/j6/