Trump commutes sentences of Jan. 6 extremist group leaders; Tarrio gets pardon

President Trump commuted the sentences of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders convicted of sedition in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack — but Enrique Tarrio, former national chair of the Proud Boys, received a full pardon.

Trump commuted the sentences of all Jan. 6 defendants convicted of plotting to forcibly halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, to time served. He also commuted the sentences of other Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders who had been acquitted of sedition.

Tarrio, however, was granted a "full, complete and unconditional” pardon alongside roughly 1,500 other Jan. 6 defendants. He is currently serving a 22-year prison term — the longest handed down in connection with the Capitol attack — but his attorney told The Hill he’s being “processed out” of prison.

The pardons mark a sharp rebuke of the Justice Department’s sweeping Jan. 6 probe, as the sedition convictions of the right-wing extremist group leaders were the crown jewels of a prosecution hailed as one of the “largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations” in the agency’s history.

Trump long vowed to grant clemency to those who descended on the Capitol as Congress certified the 2020 election win of his Democratic opponent, former President Biden, describing them on the campaign trail as “political prisoners.”

However, he largely remained mum on the scope of his planned clemency moves, making the sentence commutations for the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members somewhat of a surprise.

In recent weeks, his allies’ comments suggested Trump’s clemency might not be so sweeping.

Vice President Vance said earlier this month that people who “committed violence” on Jan. 6 should “obviously” not receive pardons, while Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, said at her confirmation hearing that she “condemns” any violence against law enforcement.

Tarrio was not in Washington on Jan. 6, after he was barred from the city following an unrelated arrest. Rhodes, who is serving an 18-year prison term, was outside the Capitol that day but was not convicted on any assault counts.

James Lee Bright, an attorney for Rhodes, said over text that they are "deeply thankful" to Trump and his team for the sentence commutation but ultimately believe the Oath Keepers founder will later be pardoned or successful in his appeal of the sedition conviction.

Trump also ordered his Justice Department to take steps to throw out all pending indictments against Jan. 6 defendants whose cases have not yet been fully adjudicated — a decision that would shut down roughly 470 ongoing cases.

Trump said Monday he believed the supporters of Jan. 6 rioters would be pleased with his clemency decisions, describing them as “hostages” who “for the most part ... didn’t do stuff wrong.”

"You'll be happy because, you know, it's action, not words that count,” he said. “And you're going to see a lot of action on the J6 hostages — a lot."

On Monday, Proud Boys members wearing their signature black-and-gold gear, with many concealing their faces, marched through Washington chanting “Whose streets? Our streets” and “Free our boys.” It was the first time they marched in the nation’s capital since the Capitol attack.

Nearly 1,600 defendants were charged in the riot, and only 10 were convicted of sedition.

Nayib Hassan, Tarrio's attorney, thanked Trump for pardoning the Proud Boys leader in his "legally complex but politically charged" case.

"Throughout this journey, we have steadfastly maintained that the charges and the subsequent prosecution were politically motivated, and today, with President Trump’s act of clemency, that long-fought battle concludes," Hassan said. "This marks a pivotal moment in our client's life, and it symbolizes a turning point for our nation."

Updated 10:04 p.m.

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