Former Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes were released from prison this week as part of a sweeping pardon initiative by former President Donald Trump, targeting more than 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Capitol Riot Prominent Figures Released After Trump Pardons
Capitol Riot Prominent Figures Released After Trump Pardons
In a dramatic turn of events, Trump grants pardons to key Capitol riot leaders, igniting controversy.
Trump's decision follows his recent commutation of significant sentences, particularly focusing on those convicted of attempting to overturn the 2020 election results through violence. Within a day of these pardons being announced, both Tarrio and Rhodes—two renowned figures in the chaos—walked free. "My son, Enrique Tarrio, has been released officially as of now!" his mother Zuny Tarrio celebrated on social media.
Rhodes, who was not pardoned but received a commuted sentence, awaits other defendants at the jail. A Yale-educated lawyer and former US Army paratrooper, Rhodes led his Oath Keepers group to Washington during the riot, although he did not breach the Capitol. He was sentenced to 18 years incarceration in 2023 for his role.
Conversely, Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy tied to the riot and handed a 22-year sentence. He directed the chaos from afar while absent from DC itself, one of the longest sentences imposed among the rioters.
Alongside the pardons, Trump issued an order instructing the Department of Justice to terminate all ongoing prosecutions against the Capitol suspects. Notably, he appointed Edward R. Martin, a known advocate for these defendants, as acting US Attorney for Washington DC. Critics, particularly Democrats, have denounced this move as an effort to rewrite history, asserting the violence of the riot should not be sanitized.
Trump argued the January 6 events were "peaceful," framing those convicted as "hostages" of the government, further fueling the ongoing divisive discourse surrounding the Capitol riot and its implications for American democracy.
Rhodes, who was not pardoned but received a commuted sentence, awaits other defendants at the jail. A Yale-educated lawyer and former US Army paratrooper, Rhodes led his Oath Keepers group to Washington during the riot, although he did not breach the Capitol. He was sentenced to 18 years incarceration in 2023 for his role.
Conversely, Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy tied to the riot and handed a 22-year sentence. He directed the chaos from afar while absent from DC itself, one of the longest sentences imposed among the rioters.
Alongside the pardons, Trump issued an order instructing the Department of Justice to terminate all ongoing prosecutions against the Capitol suspects. Notably, he appointed Edward R. Martin, a known advocate for these defendants, as acting US Attorney for Washington DC. Critics, particularly Democrats, have denounced this move as an effort to rewrite history, asserting the violence of the riot should not be sanitized.
Trump argued the January 6 events were "peaceful," framing those convicted as "hostages" of the government, further fueling the ongoing divisive discourse surrounding the Capitol riot and its implications for American democracy.
