J6 Rioter Declines Trump Pardon
After taking office, Donald Trump issued blanket pardons to more than 1,500 of the J6 defendants.
Among them was Pamela Hemphill, who was among those who went to prison for her actions on January 6, 2021.
Shockingly, she did not want Trump’s pardon, saying that what she did that day was “wrong.”
The Pardons
The pardons issued by Trump have polarized the nation.
Most of the right agree that hundreds of people were overcharged, with some pleading out their cases so they would not be excessively sentenced.
However, there were people who attacked police officers who were also included in the pardons, which I do not believe should have been pardoned.
Hemphill was not one of the violent offenders, but she insists that what she did that day was wrong, and she should pay the price.
On refusing her pardon, she stated, “Accepting a pardon would only insult the Capitol Police officers, rule of law and, of course, our nation.
“We were wrong that day. We broke the law. There should be no pardons.”
Of the more than 1,500 people that were or are being prosecuted, there were about 600 accused of assaulting police officers, or resisting or impeding police, but I think that is a bit overzealous on the part of prosecutors.
There were also 10 people convicted of sedition, which is a derivative of insurrection.
I don’t think Trump should have pardoned any of those 10 because it sets the stage for Democrats to impeach Trump via the 14th Amendment for lending aid and comfort to an insurrectionist.
As far as the 600 are concerned, from the reports I have read, there were probably between 200 and 300 that directly assaulted police officers, and I believe they should have been left in jail as well.
It is hard to say you are a law and order president when you pardon people who attacked cops.
Hemphill was a low-level prosecution, having pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of parading, demonstrating, or picketing at the Capitol. She was sentenced to 60 days in jail, three years of probation, and she had to pay a $500 fine.
She stated, “I pleaded guilty because I was guilty, and accepting a pardon also would serve to contribute to their gaslighting and false narrative.”
I don’t buy that January 6 was an insurrection or a coup, as our government was never truly at risk of being overturned, but it was a riot, and those who defaced property and attacked cops should be held accountable for their actions.
I firmly believe these pardons will come back to haunt Donald Trump and the GOP in the 2026 and 2028 elections.
To me, this was just small picture thinking on the part of Trump to play to his base, and it is already having an impact. A major police organization has already pushed back against the pardons, and this was a group that supported Trump in all three of his elections.