President Donald Trump issued a sweeping executive order on Monday granting full pardons for about 1,500 criminal defendants related to the January 6 Capitol breach.
The EO covers all J6 defendants, save 14 cases, which will be granted commutations as Trump further looks at each individual case, the president told the press while in the Oval Office.
“So this is January 6 — these are the hostages, approximately 1,500 for a pardon. Full pardon,” Trump said before signing the order. “We have about six commutations in there, where we’re doing further research.”
The EO, however, says there are 14 people who have been granted commutations, not six.
“We hope they come out tonight, frankly,” the president added, referring to J6ers’ release from prison.
🚨 President Trump has pardoned approximately 1500 January 6th political prisoners of the Biden era pic.twitter.com/LwL2S7l5Ft
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 21, 2025
Journalist Julie Kelly, who’s been reporting on the J6 cases since the start, said on X, “There are 14 individuals whose sentences are commuted and they will review the cases for pardons.”
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“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” the order reads. “Acting pursuant to the grant of authority in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution of the United States, I do hereby commute the sentences of the following individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, to time served as of January 20, 2025.”
The names of those defendants are as follows: Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, David Moerschel, Joseph Hackett, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Dominic Pezzola, and Jeremy Bertino.
A full, complete, and unconditional pardon was granted “to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” the EO said.
Here is the order related to J6 pardons. There are 14 individuals whose sentences are commuted and they will review the cases for pardons.
“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a…
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) January 21, 2025
Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy though he was not even in Washington D.C. on the day of the breach, is currently being processed for release from FCI Pollock, a medium-security federal prison in Louisiana, an NBC News report said.
Tarrio was serving a steep 22-year sentence in federal prison.
Tarrio’s mother, Zuny Tarrio, rejoiced at the news, writing in a post on X, “Lord thank you!!! Tarrio is free!!!”
Enrique Tarrio’s mom says her son — the former national leader of the Proud Boys who was convicted by a DC jury of seditious conspiracy— has been released. pic.twitter.com/NGEp2ioRKt
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 20, 2025
