President Donald Trump pardoned nearly all of the Jan. 6 defendants on Monday night after pledging to sign an executive order on the matter during his inauguration.
Sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Trump signed the release of more than 1,500 people charged with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The order requires the federal Bureau of Prisons to take immediate action upon receipt of a pardon.
"I'm going to sign pardons on the J6 hostages tonight and let them go," Trump said during a parade at Capital One Stadium in Washington. "I'm going to the Oval Office and we're going to sign pardons for a lot of them. ”
Those pardoned include former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for conspiracy and sedition. Tarrio's attorney told The Associated Press that he expected Tarrio to be released Monday night.
Trump previously promised that he would "move quickly" to pardon the so-called "hostages" on his first day in office.
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President Donald Trump signs an executive order during the indoor Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, Monday, January 20, 2025. (Matt Locke/AP)
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California called Trump's pardon "shameful" and said it was important to remember the "courage" of law enforcement "heroes" who "ensure the survival of our democracy."
Pelosi, who did not attend Trump's inauguration on Monday, said in a statement: "The president's actions are outrageous to our justice system and to the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma while protecting the Capitol, Congress and the Constitution. Insulting." posted to X (formerly Twitter).
"It is shameful that the president has decided to make it one of his top priorities to abandon and betray police officers who risk their lives to prevent attempts to subvert the peaceful transfer of power," Pelosi said.
The pardon is one of more than 200 executive orders Trump is expected to sign on Inauguration Day. Other directives he signed on Monday include withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord, which it originally signed in 2015 under former President Barack Obama's administration.
Trump previously withdrew the United States from the agreement during his first term in 2020.
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The pardon is one of more than 200 executive orders Trump is expected to sign on Inauguration Day. (Mark Schiffelbin/AP)
On Monday morning, then-President Joe Biden issued a series of pardons just hours before Trump was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol. Among those Biden pardoned was retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who Trump accused of treason. Others pardoned by Biden include those involved in the Jan. 6 special committee investigation into the attack.
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President Donald Trump has previously promised to "move quickly" to pardon the so-called "hostages" on his first day in office. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
"The issuance of pardons should not be misconstrued as an admission of any wrongdoing by any individual or an admission of guilt for any crime," Biden said in a statement. "Our country owes these public servants a debt of gratitude." debt for their tireless service to our country.”
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Hinman contributed to this report.