Trump Promises to Grant Pardons to Jan. 6 Defendants if Re-Elected

Former President Donald Trump has pledged that if elected president, one of his priorities will be to release individuals who were “wrongfully imprisoned” after being convicted of crimes related to the January 6, 2021 protests at the U.S. Capitol.

In a post on his Truth Social account on Monday night, Trump stated, “My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!”

His post on Truth Social followed the release of an 81-page report by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight highlighting inconsistencies and lack of corroboration in the testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.

Trump has previously called on President Joe Biden to release the defendants from January 6, but this appears to be the first time he has specifically stated that he intends to do so as one of his top priorities on Day One, according to NBC News.

The former president has characterized the jailed defendants as “hostages,” a term the White House has labeled as “grotesque.”

According to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., nearly 500 individuals have been sentenced to prison or jail for their involvement in the January 6 events. Prosecutors have obtained over 950 convictions related to January 6, with more than 1,350 individuals charged.

Last year, Trump indicated that he would pardon a “large portion” of the defendants early on.

Trump currently faces felony charges of conspiring to defraud the country and obstruct an official proceeding, brought by special counsel Jack Smith in connection with the January 6 protests. He has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty.

He is asserting immunity from criminal prosecution, with the Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments on April 25, the final day of its argument calendar, in a case that could determine whether he will stand trial on the charges before the November election.