WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump said on Monday he will pardon “a lot” of people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, moving to deliver on a promise often voiced on the campaign trail.
Speaking to supporters at Washington’s Capital One Arena, Trump did not specify how many people he planned to pardon.
“We’re going to release our great hostages that didn’t do — for the most part — they didn’t do stuff wrong,” Trump said. He has frequently referred to Capitol riot defendants as “hostages” even though they have been subject to the normal criminal process and many have admitted to or been found guilty of criminal offenses.
A source familiar with his plans said earlier on Monday that Trump intends to cut short sentences for some people who attacked police and issue full pardons to people who did not commit violence.
More than 1,580 people have been criminally charged with participating in the riot, a failed attempt by Trump supporters to block the congressional certification of the 2020 election.
Leaders of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers organizations are among those serving time in federal prison for their roles in the violence. More than 600 people have been charged with assaulting or obstructing police during the riot, according to U.S. Justice Department figures.
Trump vowed during his 2024 campaign to pardon many of those charged, arguing they had been treated unfairly by the legal system.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Jasper Ward and Andrew Goudsward; editing by David Ljunggren, Scott Malone, David Gregorio, Rod Nickel and Deepa Babington)