On Monday, in a Truth Social post, former President Donald Trump wrote that pardoning the January 6th prisoners will be among one of his first acts if he’s reelected in November. Trump wrote:
“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!”
Trump has made several statements about issuing pardons for the prisoners in the past, although his Monday post may be the strongest stance he has taken, yet. In May 2023 he stated that he would “most likely” pardon “a large portion of them,” adding, “and it’ll be very early on.” In June, amid his own federal investigation, Trump held a fundraiser for the defendants at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf resort while promising to make a personal donation.
Trump’s words come in the wake of his ex-advisor Peter Navarro being ordered to report to prison, for defying a congressional subpoena from the January 6 Select Committee. A federal judge ordered Navarro to serve his 4-month sentence beginning on March 19th, denying a stay requested during the appeals process.
In an accompanying post, Trump referred to the committee as the “J6 Unselect Committee,” calling it a “total document destroying scam” while praising Republicans in Congress for “exposing all the lies.”
An 81-page report released on Monday by the House Administration Committee’s oversight subcommittee, led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, (R-GA) revealed that four White House employees failed to substantiate the crucial details of Cassidy Hutchinson’s dramatic testimony regarding Trump’s actions that day.
The report says,
None of the White House Employees corroborated Hutchinson’s sensational story about President Trump lunging for the steering wheel of the Beast. However, some witnesses did describe the President’s mood after the speech at the Ellipse.
Among the witnesses to dispel Hutchinson’s version of events is the driver of Trump’s car on Jan. 6, while corroborating the former president’s insistence in joining his supporters gathering at the Capitol.
The unnamed driver told the committee’s investigators,
[President Trump] never grabbed the steering wheel. I didn’t see him, you know, lunge to try to get into the front seat at all.
Transcripts of the driver’s testimony demonstrate that although Trump wanted to be taken to the Capitol, he was not ‘irate’ or screaming at the head of his security detail, Bobby Engel, as has been alleged previously. The driver told investigators,
The president was insistent on going to the Capitol. It was clear to me he wanted to go to the Capitol. He was not screaming at Mr. Engel. He was not screaming at me. Certainly his voice was raised, but it did not seem to me that he was irate — certainly not, certainly didn’t seem as irritated or agitated as he had on the way to the Ellipse.
Read More: EXCLUSIVE: J6 Prisoner Enrique Tarrio Reacts to Alexei Navalny Outrage
President Joe Biden is also keeping the events of January 6, 2021 fresh in the minds of Americans, as he made an early mention of the events in his State of the Union speech given on Thursday. Biden said,
History is watching, just like history watched three years ago on January 6th. Insurrectionists stormed this very Capitol and placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy. Many of you were here on that darkest of days. We all saw with our own eyes these insurrectionists were not patriots.
Three years after the Capitol riots, more than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes, while only two have been acquitted on all charges.
I would vote for President Trump SOLELY on the basis of him pardoning these J6 prisoners. After seeing the despicable things the J6 Committee did, and seeing these poor people sitting in prison, many without a trial, it makes my blood boil!
The absolute decline of America in the past 3 years is unfathomable. As they say, the election in November must be too big to rig. We cannot survive 4 more years.