Speculation swirls about potential Trump pardons for Jan. 6 participants

With Donald Trump poised to resume the presidency come January, speculation is growing about potential pardons he may grant, with one group of individuals waiting with particular interest on any decisions he might make.

Having previously signaled an openness to pardoning those charged as a result of the Jan. 6 2021 Capitol unrest, Trump has stayed quiet on the topic since the election, prompting some to wonder about just who might receive clemency from the new administration, as Politico reports.

Campaign trail hints

While campaigning for the White House, Trump was not shy about expressing his belief that significant numbers of Jan. 6 participants had been unjustly treated and deserved a reprieve from their legal troubles.

At a town hall event in May of last year, Trump suggested that pardons would certainly be on the table if he returned to the Oval Office, as NBC News reported at the time.

“I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can't say for every single one, because a couple of them, probably they got out of control,” Trump said at the time.

Trump went on to say that “most likely” he would grant pardons to “a large portion of them” and that it would be “very early on” in his presidency.

In June of this year, when referencing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that nullified obstruction charges leveled against some Jan. 6 demonstrators, Trump said, “Free the [Jan. 6] hostages now. They should free them now for what they've gone through. They've been waiting for this decision for a long time. They've been waiting for a long time.”

Uncertainty in the air

However, since winning a second term in office, the Trump camp has been quiet on the topic of Jan. 6 pardons, leaving many to wonder of their loyalty and their plight have been forgotten.

Brandon Straka, a Trump ally who pleaded guilty to misdemeanors related to Jan. 6 and served three months in home detention, believes that some indication about the trajectory of the president-elect's thinking is in order.

“[H]onestly people have suffered for four years and many are still in flux and terrified. A word of reassurance from the top would go a long way for people,” Straka said.

He continued, “The silence on the issue just exacerbates the victims' anxiety. Hopefully some kind of messaging comes soon.”

Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt recently stated that the incoming president “will make pardon decision on a case-by-case basis,” and as The Hill recently reported, according to a new Politico/Morning Consult Poll, 40% of voters believe pardons for Jan. 6 participants are “very likely,” with another 29% opining that they are “somewhat” likely, but whether clemency is indeed forthcoming, only time will tell.