#but pardoning the jan 6th insurrectionists

[fangirl-nadir]

Oh ffs, now they're threatening him with the death penalty? God, those fuckers are scared shitless of this guy and are desperate to cover things up

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

His name is Henry Tarrio. He labeled himself “Enrique” to try and give himself street cred. His time as a government informant, 2012-14, predates his involvement with the alt-right. He was busted for selling stolen diabetic test strips. Later he testified, and worked undercover, against his underworld scumbag friends who were selling steroids, running gambling operations, running marijuana “grow houses” and human trafficking. He was pardoned for seditious conspiracy by Orange Hitler.

The Jan 6’ers, especially the leaders see themselves as martyrs and want revenge.

[thashining]

14th amendment

[onlytiktoks]

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-jan-6-rioters-pardons-back-the-blue-rcna188849

Full video ↓

[democracyunderground]

OCCUPY DEMOCRATS

BREAKING: Sixteen brave federal agents strike back against Donald Trump's corruption by filing lawsuits against his Department of Justice and FBI to stop his planned retaliation against them. MAGA world never saw this one coming... The agents are currently still working for the government but say that a review being conducted of those who worked on the January 6th insurrectionist cases is groundwork for retaliation against them. The agents unleashed their lawsuits right before the noon deadline that the FBI had to deliver responses to a 13-question survey about agents' works on the cases to the Justice Department. The survey asked agents whether or not they, conducted surveillance, collected evidence, arrested individuals, or testified in court. "The purpose for this list is to identify agents to be terminated or to suffer other adverse employment action," a lawsuit filed by nine of the agents states, slamming the "unlawful and retaliatory" action. "Plaintiffs reasonably fear that all or parts of this list might be published by allies of President Trump, thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons," it adds. A second lawsuit filed by the seven other agents states that this review is a "potential vigilante action by those who they were investigating." The agents are right to be suspicious. Donald Trump is purging our government of anyone who respects the rule of law while simultaneously staffing it with loyalist MAGA goons. This is a hostile takeover of America and it cannot be allowed to proceed uncontested.x Please like and share! 

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Natasha Korecki at NBC News:

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is blocking those who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol from working in state jobs, ignoring President Donald Trump's attempt to offer them a clean slate last week in a sweeping set of pardons and commutations. Late Thursday, Pritzker directed the state’s Department of Central Management Services, the state’s primary hiring authority, to restrict hiring of those who took part in the attack on the Capitol by declaring they had taken part in “infamous and disgraceful conduct that is antithetical to the mission of the State.” “These rioters attacked law enforcement officers protecting people in the Capitol, disrupted the peaceful transfer of power, and undermined bedrock principles of American democracy,” Pritzker said in a written directive obtained by NBC News. “Our State workforce must reflect the values of Illinois and demonstrate honesty, integrity, and loyalty to serving the taxpayers. No one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government.”  Pritzker’s new directive marks the first and most direct pushback to Trump’s power spree that has tested the bounds of presidential authority through a fray of executive orders, including some that have drawn judicial rebuke. The Democratic governor of the Midwestern blue state has for years acted as an antagonist to Trump. Pritzker's directive is likely to draw legal challenges, but sources familiar with it said that working through the personnel code was thought to serve as the best legal footing should it face court pushback. 

Good policy for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) to implement.

January 6th Insurrectionists have NO place working for any state job in the Land of Lincoln.

See Also:

HuffPost: Illinois Gov. Bars Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioters From State Jobs

The Hill, via NewsNation: Illinois governor blocks pardoned Jan. 6 rioters from state jobs

[urialnathanonwright]

Pardoning Jan. 6 Rioters: An Erosion of Accountability

JD Vance’s defense of Trump’s blanket pardons for over 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters is an endorsement of lawlessness and a assault on accountability. It’s a “bad idea” that undermines the foundation of justice and the rule of law.

The January 6th attack was an unprecedented assault on American democracy, resulting in the deaths of nine people, including law enforcement officers, and injuries to 140 others. It was not an isolated act of protest; it was a violent insurrection. To excuse such violence by framing the Department of Justice’s prosecution as “weaponized” or “politically motivated” is an insult to the victims and an abdication of responsibility to protect democratic institutions.

Vance’s claim that pardons were necessary to rectify a “denial of due process” is an attempt to rewrite history. The rioters were given fair trials under the very judicial system they sought to undermine. To suggest otherwise diminishes the sacrifices of law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol that day and the countless Americans who believe in accountability, regardless of political affiliation.

The false equivalence drawn between Jan. 6 rioters and Black Lives Matter protesters is yet another distortion of reality. The vast majority of BLM protests were peaceful, and even The Washington Post noted that deaths linked to those protests were “almost never actually part of the protest movement.” Jan. 6 was not a protest, it was a coordinated attempt to overthrow the results of a free and fair election.

By aligning himself with Trump’s sweeping pardons, Vance contradicts his own prior statements condemning violence against law enforcement. This hypocrisy lays bare the fact that this is not about justice, it’s about political expediency. It sends a chilling message that allegiance to Trump and his agenda matters more than the rule of law or public safety.

This decision also sets a dangerous precedent. If violent attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power are excused and even celebrated, what is to stop future acts of insurrection? Pardoning those who attacked the Capitol effectively invites more violence by signaling that there are no real consequences for undermining democracy.

JD Vance and Donald Trump have chosen to defend sedition over justice, prioritizing partisan loyalty over the principles they claim to uphold. Pardoning insurrectionists is not “rectifying a wrong” it is perpetuating one. It’s a betrayal of law enforcement, democracy, and every American who values accountability and peace.

We cannot afford to let this be normalized. Accountability matters, and the dangerous revisionism from Vance and Trump must be condemned at every turn. Our democracy depends on it.

[karadin]

while you were sleeping ...

The U.S. Army has told units to prepare for deployment at the U.S.-Mexico border in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Trump declared a 'state of emergency' at the border, despite the fact that we have a fully staffed border patrol and we are not in a wartime footing with Mexico.

National Science Foundation freezes grants in response to Trump executive orders

Native Americans concerned that they may be rounded up in mass deportation efforts due to racial profiling

Trump states that GAZA should be 'swept clean' and over one million refugees to be moved to Egypt and Jordan. (these countries have refused by the way)

Trump also mentions that Gaza has 'great beachfront property' and his son in law Jared Kushner, a friend of Netanyahu since childhood, has made the same statements that Gaza would be great place to build condos (and not for Palestinians)

Despite a 'cease fire' attacks have continued in Gaza, many by settler groups with police esorts, as soon as Trump lifted Biden era sanctions on settler incursions.

some USAID officials were put on leave for not abiding Trump's order to halt all international aid.

Trump has placed all Diversity and Inclusion federal employees across agencies on paid leave for 30 days until their positions are terminated.

The US Air Force took down a video for new recruits showcasing the Tuskegee Airmen, a famous all black fighting force from WW2, as well as the WAVES, women who joined the service during WW2.

The advisory office of DOGE now run solely by Elon Musk, a US government contractor puts him in nominal charge of government programs, a conflict of interest, however he has been booted from an office next to Trump in the White House to another building.

This Department of Government Efficiency now is taking over the US Digital Service in charge of all US gov websites, including the new IRS Free File (where you can do your taxes online for free, a holdover from the Biden Administration.)

Trump is paving the way for the Pentagon to remove transgender service members

The Quaker faith have taken the Trump administration to court over a new policy to enter churches and religious spaces in mass deportation efforts.

Trump puts hold on refugees - hundreds of thousands of people fleeing strife in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Haiti and Venezuela have been stopped from entering the US - the program was bipartisan and many have waited years in a legal process to enter.

Trump has revoked a Biden admin program that allowed 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans and nearly 1 million migrants allowed into the country through an app called CBP One, all of these individuals are now targeted for deportation.

Vice President Vance complained when U.S. Catholic bishops condemned ICE entering places of employment, churches and schools in mass deportation raids (lifting an Obama era restriction)

Vice President Vance states that Big Tech is too powerful in the US, at the same time Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, along with other 'tech bros' were featured at Trump's inauguration, seated in front of his cabinet picks.

Trump fires DOJ employees who worked on Trump's prosecution for insurrection on Jan 6 as well as his stolen US government 'eyes only' documents. Republicans are investigating the bi-partisan Jan 6th investigations under the Biden administration.

Trump pardoned more than 1,500 individuals for their crimes during the Jan 6th insurrection, this has lead to backlash among a bi-partisan Congress as well as the public. One of the insurrectionists was killed by police at a conflict on his day of release, another was re-arrested for breaking his parole for previous convictions.

[darkmaga-returns]

Former President Trump's announcement to pardon all January 6th prisoners sparks controversy and condemnation, viewed as an attempt to undermine justice and whitewash the Capitol protest events.

Biden considers preemptive pardons for Congress members linked to election interference, contrasting with Trump's sympathy towards innocent protesters led into the Capitol by police.

The Gateway Pundit reveals the sham committee overseeing the January 6 investigation illegally destroyed crucial evidence, raising transparency and accountability concerns.

Allegations against Trump, including 'star witness' Cassidy Hutchinson's claim of seizing a limo, point to a cover-up to incriminate him unjustly, plus the torturing of Jan. 6th prisoners to try to make them lie and say Trump told them to be violent insurrectionists.

Trump's strong response to the committee's actions reflects frustration with the ongoing witch hunt, while speculations of pardons for figures like Liz Cheney and Adam Schiff deepen political tensions and raise questions about justice and accountability.

In a shocking turn of events, former President Donald Trump's announcement of pardoning all the January 6th prisoners upon taking office in January has stirred a wave of controversy and condemnation. The move, seen as a blatant attempt to undermine ju

[probableparadox]

i love how conservatives are posting "innocent people don't need pardons" because of biden's pardons and then a few days later the tangerine pardons a bunch of jan 6th insurrectionists. smells a bit hypocritical

[collapsedsquid]

In early October, federal prosecutors praised [Jon] Schaffer’s “substantial” cooperation in the Jan. 6 investigation and recommended that he serve no time in prison. The Republic reports that they instead asked for Schaffer to receive three years of probation, including six months of house arrest, along with the previously stated restitution, fine, and community service. He provided information for other cases to the U.S. government and testified before a grand jury. The recommendation also follows a June Supreme Court ruling that limited prosecutors’ ability to charge Jan. 6 insurrectionists with obstruction and several delays to Schaffer’s sentencing date. [...] Three months [after his Jan. 16, 2021 charging] later, the Department of Justice offered [Jon] Schaffer a plea deal, reducing his charges to “Obstruction of an Official Proceeding” and “Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon.” The former charge carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. The latter charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, another $250,000 fine, and another period of supervised release up to three years. In its paperwork, the DOJ said it would recommend between 41 and 51 months in prison and a fine between $15,000 and $250,000. For his cooperation, the government also offered to place him in witness protection. Schaffer signed the doc the next day and was released on personal recognizance as he awaited sentencing.

Was looking up what happened to the Iced Earth Jan 6th guy in preparation for my Inauguration Day joke, sentencing to 3 years probation only happaned a few months ago, maybe he could be pardoned by Trump but since he's a fuckin snitch perhaps Trump could find some additional charges or could simply tweet his current name and address.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 5, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JAN 6, 2024

President Joe Biden launched his reelection campaign today with a speech at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. He spoke after a visit to nearby Valley Forge, where General George Washington quartered his troops from December 1777 to June 1778 during the Revolutionary War in which the former colonies sought to establish their independence from Great Britain.

Biden began the speech by outlining what the soldiers in the Continental Army quartered at Valley Forge had fought for. “America made a vow,” Biden said. “Never again would we bow down to a king.”

A “ragtag army made up of ordinary people” fought for what Washington called “a sacred cause,” he said: “Freedom, liberty, democracy. American democracy.” Valley Forge, he said, “tells the story of the pain and the suffering and the true patriotism it took to make America.”

Three years ago, he said, when insurrectionists tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power on January 6, 2021, “we nearly…lost it all.”

“Today, we’re here to answer the most important of questions,” Biden said. “Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?... This is not rhetorical, academic or hypothetical. Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time.”

“And it’s what the 2024 election is all about.”

Biden described Trump’s attack on American democracy and warned that “Donald Trump’s campaign is about him, not America, not you.” Biden remembered the “smashing windows, shattering doors, attacking the police” of January 6. He recalled the rioters erecting a gallows while the crowd chanted, “Hang Mike Pence,” hunting for then–House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and injuring more than 140 police officers. 

Like the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, Biden emphasized that while the whole world was watching the attack in horror and disbelief, and even as staff, family members, and Republican leaders pleaded with Trump to do something, the former president watched events unfold on the television in a little room off the Oval Office and “did nothing.”

Biden repeated the condemnation of former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) when he called that refusal to act “among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history.”

The president went on to explain how Trump continued to lie that he had won the 2020 presidential election despite losing recounts and 60 court cases. For those lies, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani was ordered last month to pay $148 million to election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss for defamation, and the Fox News Corporation agreed to pay $787 million to Dominion Voting Systems for lying that their machines had switched votes from Trump to Biden.

Then, when he had exhausted all his legal options, Trump urged his supporters to assault the Capitol. Since then, more than 1,200 people have been charged with crimes related to the events of that day; nearly 900 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted. 

Trump has called those insurrectionists “patriots” and has promised to pardon them if he is returned to office. But normalizing violence as part of our political system destroys the reasonable debate and peaceful transition of power that is at the heart of democracy. Biden identified this danger, warning: “Political violence is never, ever acceptable in the United States political system—never, never, never. It has no place in a democracy. None. You can’t be pro-insurrectionist and pro-American.” 

Biden noted that Trump has promised to continue to assault democracy, threatening “a full-scale campaign of ‘revenge’ and ‘retribution’...for some years to come.” Trump has said he “would be a dictator on day one,” called for the “termination of all the rules, regulation, and articles, even those found in the U.S. Constitution,” and echoed the language used in Nazi Germany by calling those who oppose him “vermin” and talking about the blood of Americans being poisoned by immigrants. 

“There’s no confusion about who Trump is and what he intends to do,” Biden said. 

Immediately after January 6, 2021, “even Republican members of Congress and Fox News commentators publicly and privately condemned the attack,” he said. “But now…those same people have changed their tune…. [P]olitics, fear, money, all have intervened. And now these MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump on January 6th have abandoned the truth and abandoned democracy.”

“They made their choice,” Biden said. “Now the rest of us—Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans—we have to make our choice. I know mine. And I believe I know America’s. We will defend the truth, not give in to the Big Lie. We’ll embrace the Constitution and the Declaration, not abandon it. We’ll honor the sacred cause of democracy, not walk away from it.”

“Today, I make this sacred pledge to you,” he said. “The defense, protection, and preservation of American democracy will remain, as it has been, the central cause of my presidency.” 

“America, as we begin this election year, we must be clear,” Biden said. “Democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot.” “The alternative to democracy is dictatorship—the rule of one, not the rule of ‘We the People.’”  

“Together, we can keep proving that America is still a country that believes in decency, dignity, honesty, honor, truth,” he said. “We still believe that no one, not even the President, is above the law…. [T]he vast majority of us still believe that everyone deserves a fair shot at making it. We’re still a nation that gives hate no safe harbor…. We still believe in ‘We the People,’ and that includes all of us, not some of us.” 

In “that cold winter of 1777,” Biden said, referring back to the soldiers at Valley Forge, “George Washington and his American troops…waged a battle on behalf of a revolutionary idea that everyday people—like where I come from and the vast majority of you—…that everyday people can govern themselves without a king or a dictator.”

Americans “take charge of our destiny,” Biden said. “We get our job done with…the help of the people we find in America, who find their place in the changing world and dream and build a future that not only they but all people deserve a shot at.” 

“This is the first national election since [the] January 6th insurrection placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy,” Biden said. “We all know who Donald Trump is. The question we have to answer is: Who are we? That’s what’s at stake. Who are we?” 

And then he answered his own question, concluding with his characteristic faith in the American people. “After all we’ve been through in our history, from independence to Civil War to two world wars to a pandemic to insurrection,” he said, “I refuse to believe that, in 2024, we Americans will choose to walk away from what’s made us the greatest nation in the history of the world: freedom, liberty.”

“Democracy,” he said, “is still a sacred cause.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[boreal-sea]

I'm listening to opening arguments for the Supreme Court opening arguments about whether or not Colorado has a right under section 3 of the 14th Amendment (insurrectionists can't hold office) to remove Trump from their ballot.

All of this is based on civil war policy, if you didn't know what the 14th Amendment was.

Trump's lawyer is arguing that section 3 is not "self executing", which means the state can't prevent Trump from being on the ballot themselves - he could run, but then when he got elected, Congress would have to pardon him by a 2/3rds vote for him to actually be president.

Trump's lawyer's first argument: Using Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is placing a new requirement on candidates before they are elected that is not stated in the Constitution.

One of the justices said that for her the issue are: in what sense does history say that states can enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment against their own office holders, can they enforce it against federal officers, and can they enforce it against the office of president?

Trump's lawyer is claiming a state cannot do those things because of an earlier ruling (Griffin's Case) (not a Supreme Court case).

One of the judges has said "so you're not making a constitutional argument" to Trump's lawyer - aka he's not relying on the Constitution, he's relying on a secondary case.

When asked how he'd argue this case without Griffin's case, Trump's lawyer admits it'd be much harder because every other part of the 14th amendment has been self executing.

They are discussing a bit what "self executing" means.

Sotomayor has noted that other qualifications can disqualify a candidate prior to running (e.g. age). She is questioning why section 3 is different. Trump's lawyer is claiming that because Griffin's case set precedent that section 3 is not self executing, that states cannot ban him from the ballot, because Congress may pardon him from that after he is elected.

According to Trump's lawyer, being an insurrectionist is allegedly not categorical because Congress could pardon him afterwards. He is arguing that if someone's category could change via a vote, it isn't fair to impose it as a limit on the candidate prior to the election, and should therefore not disqualify Trump from being on the ballot.

Trump's lawyer's second main argument: Trump and the office of president is exempt from section 3 due to its phrasing.

Trump's lawyer is also arguing that technically, "president" isn't on the list in section 3. A lot lays in the importance between "officers" and "office" - in this case, the difference means if you are an officer you cannot hold an office - you can't be both. The President isn't an officer, he holds the position of the office of the president. This means Trump specifically is excluded from the wording of this because he never actually was an officer, and has only held office.

Paraphrase of some of the justices: "Why would they have written that presidents who were never officers would be excluded from section 3? Why would they have done that at the time of the civil war, when there was a strong motivation to keep any inssurectionist out of office?"

Trump's lawyer is also claiming Trump has presidential immunity and can't be prosecuted for anything about Jan 6th anyway.

[edward-cabrini]

It's still wild to me that America became a de facto elective monarchy in my lifetime. All the right components for it have always been around, just that since Trump got elected America has been speed running the death of its democracy.

The supreme court has upheld that any official act by the head of state is not prosecutable and gave no guidance and what is or is not an official act. Beyond a few broad strokes, such as commanding the armed forces.

The electoral college system means there's essentially a voting noble class that decides who gets to be the monarch of America. Whilst typically they vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, faithless electors have no punishment for not voting with their state. Meaning that if a presidential candidate was charismatic or corrupt enough, they could secure the electoral college votes and ignore the popular vote entirely.

During the attempted insurrection on Jan 6th, the local police force allowed insurrectionists into the capitol building and didn't call for aid from the national guard until much later. With a couple of notable exceptions, the police force was ready to throw the last vestiges of democracy out the window.

I'm yet to even mention the various executive powers of office the American monarch has, but let us quickly discuss pardoning criminal acts. In the UK, the act of pardoning someone is done by pardon review committee. No one person has the authority to overturn the decisions made in a court of law. In America, the president can pardon you for a crime you have committed; have allegedly committed; or even one you will commit/are committing. Whether or not you can get a pardon is, very much so, determined by how much the monarch likes you.

Anyway, all this to say that it's been very useful in my own writing to follow the nonsense. Fiachra's journey from charcoal burner to Earl and candidate for a crown. Has been informed in no small part by the troubles in America.

Somewhere I saw a post that was like, "any state can turn blue if enough people vote."

This is very true. And with so much at stake here, you shouldn't assume that people won't turn out in droves to vote blue even in red states.

Project 2025/Agenda 47 isn't the kind of thing that normal, everyday Republicans actually want. Trumpers are a weird bunch. As we raise more awareness, your Republican swing voter types are going to be like, "hey uh, wait, this isn't what I want" and a lot of them are going to start eyeing Harris.

So even if you live in a red state, don't assume that your vote is meaningless. Do not. For one minute. Assume this.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Oliver Willis at Daily Kos:

Vice President-elect JD Vance promoted a debunked conspiracy theory about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, while trying to prove to Trump supporters that he is in agreement with those sympathetic to the attack. The problem began after Vance appeared on Fox News Sunday and said that Trump would not apply a blanket pardon to everyone involved in the riot.

“If you protested peacefully on January the 6th, and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member? You should be pardoned. If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned,” Vance said. This prompted a reaction from conservative commenters who are upset that Vance seemed to be backing away from Trump’s earlier promises.   A typical response in this vein came from the account of conservative podcasters The Hodge Twins, who wrote, “Video gets released of cops shooting innocent J6 protesters and @JDVance goes on Fox News and tells the world that only non violent protesters should get pardoned. Better rethink what you just said JD.” Vance responded and noted, “I donated to the to the J6 political prisoner fund and got ROASTED for it during my senate race. I've been defending these guys for years.” The incoming vice president then asserted, “There were federal informants in the crowd. Do they get a pardon? I don't think so. The president saying he'll look at each case (and me saying the same) is not some walkback.”

This is false: A December report released by the independent Justice Department inspector general’s office examined the agency’s response to Jan. 6 and determined that there were no FBI employees on the scene nor were any FBI informants authorized to participate in the attack. Conservatives—almost since the day of the attack, have sought to push the narrative that the people who attacked the Capitol were not Trump supporters, or that the so-called “deep state” was involved in provoking the attack. In fact, Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has pushed similar conspiracies.

See Also:

HuffPost: JD Vance Leaves 'Gray Area' For How Trump Will Pardon Jan. 6 Prisoners

VP-elect J.D. Vance ticked off January 6th Insurrectionists over his comments made on Fox News Sunday opposing pardons for violent people.

From the 01.12.2025 edition of Fox's Fox News Sunday:

[parttimereporter]

This is the Biden statement

Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy. Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties. In certain cases, some have even been threatened with criminal prosecutions, including General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, and the members and staff of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions. General Milley served our nation for more than 40 years, serving in multiple command and leadership posts and deploying to some of the most dangerous parts of the world to protect and defend democracy. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he guided our Armed Forces through complex global security threats and strengthened our existing alliances while forging new ones. For more than half a century, Dr. Fauci served our country. He saved countless lives by managing the government’s response to pressing health crises, including HIV/AIDS, as well as the Ebola and Zika viruses. During his tenure as my Chief Medical Advisor, he helped the country tackle a once-in-a-century pandemic. The United States is safer and healthier because of him. On January 6, 2021, American democracy was tested when a mob of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol in an attempt to overturn a fair and free election by force and violence. In light of the significance of that day, Congress established the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol to investigate and report upon the facts, circumstances, and causes of the insurrection.

The Select Committee fulfilled this mission with integrity and a commitment to discovering the truth. 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. I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing. Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. Even when individuals have done nothing wrong—and in fact have done the right thing—and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.

That is why I am exercising my authority under the Constitution to pardon General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Members of Congress and staff who served on the Select Committee, and the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the Select Committee. The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.

7:53 AM · Jan 20, 2025