Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized the President Donald Trump on Monday night to forgive the more than 1,000 people involved in the riots of January 6, 2021.
Trump has signed a pardon for nearly 1,500 defendants accused of crimes stemming from the attack on the US Capitol, fulfilling a promise he made in December to act quickly and pardon them.
Trump also commuted the sentences of six people on Monday, including the leaders of the extremist groups Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
BIDEN ATTACKS TRUMP, SAYS HE WAS A 'REAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY'
President Donald Trump has signed a pardon for nearly 1,500 defendants charged with crimes stemming from the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
But Pelosi called the move “shameful,” and said she remembered the “courage” of the “heroes” in law who “made sure democracy survives.”
“The President's action is a terrible affront to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical pain and emotional distress while protecting the Capitol, Congress and the Constitution,” Pelosi, who did not attend the inauguration, said. Trump on Monday, he said in a statement. written in X.
“It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his priorities to abandon and betray the police who put their lives on the line to prevent efforts to disrupt the transfer of power by peace,” Pelosi said.
DOJ WANTS TO BLOCK JAN. 6 PEOPLE RETURNED FROM TRUMP'S APPOINTMENT
US President Donald Trump sings the second command during the inauguration ceremony inside the Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of his second term as president, Washington, US January 20, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
The Department of Justice reported that approximately 140 police officers were assaulted during the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. This included law enforcement officers from the US Capitol Police and approximately 60 members of the Police Department Metropolitan.
President Donald Trump announced at his inauguration ceremony at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, that he will grant amnesty for the so-called “hostages”. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Trump announced earlier on Monday at his inauguration ceremony at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, that he will grant amnesty for the so-called “hostages.”
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“Tonight I will be signing to the J6 hostages, a pardon to get them out,” Trump said at the Capital One Arena. “I'm going to the Oval Office and we're going to be signing public apologies.
So far, judges or jury after trial have convicted about 250 people accused of participating in the riots, and more than a thousand have pleaded guilty since January.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.