Alabama native Kaleb Dillard was not expecting to hear about his own pardon over the news on Monday night, but that's precisely what happened this week after Dillard and every other person charged, convicted, or jailed for their alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol while the Senate was certifying the 2020 presidential election.
Within days of his swearing-in, Trump issued pardons or commutations for the nearly 1,600 people charged or facing charges related to the riot.
Over four years ago, the event at the capitol began as thousands rallied to support then-president Donald Trump after the 2020 election, which many believed was fraudulent. The rally turned violent in some areas of the capitol as attendees clashed with law enforcement or entered the building. However, the vast majority of those in attendance were not violent or convicted of violence.
Opinions on the pardons have been mixed. Those opposing the pardons point to the claims of assault on law enforcement, theft and vandalism allegedly taken by those at the capitol. On the other hand, those supporting the pardons point to alleged malfeasance on the part of the DOJ under former President Joe Biden and a belief that most of the January 6 prisoners were unjustly jailed or convicted. Many supporters have criticized the congressional January 6 Committee for allegedly withholding evidence and manipulating the American people. The entire January 6 Committee received pardons from outgoing President Joe Biden on his final day in office.
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Dillard, a Birmingham native, was among the many thousands at the capitol that day. Like most, he planned to attend a protest in support of Trump.
In a previous episode of "1819 News: The Podcast.", Dillard described the events of the day: getting caught up in the crowd, trying to get away from the crowd but being pushed to the front of the Capitol building and eventually inside.
Dillard faced eight years in federal prison for assaulting a police officer. However, Dillard claimed in the podcast appearance that he never meant to assault the officer and that the exchange occurred as he was being forced inside by the massive crowd.
He was eventually sentenced to 10 months in prison, which he served in Yazoo City, Miss. After that, he was released and placed on probation.
According to Dillard, his parole officer was his first contact after hearing about the January 6 pardons on the news.
"I texted my probation officer that night and was like, 'Hey. I think I might've just gotten a pardon. Do you know how I can know?'" Dillard told 1819 News. "I really do have a great probation officer. He's been a good dude."
"That night, two articles got written, and they had my name in it like I was on some kind of list, but I didn't know where to get the list or who had the list, so I called my attorney, and he was able to, the next day, get a list from one of our senators and confirm that my name was on it. And then the next day, my probation officer texted me and said, 'Hey. I'm closing your file now, and you're good.' So, I still haven't gotten anything officially in the mail, but that's supposed to be coming."
Dillard expressed immediate elation over the news, swiftly quelled by his inherent skepticism of the federal government, which developed over the course of his prosecution.
"I was really excited," Dillard said. "But, I mean, this whole process has made me just so skeptical of the system, and so I'm kind of like, 'Man. I don't wanna get too excited until I have something in writing, you know?' Or at the very least, until my probation officer tells me I'm good. But I was just really, really excited."
He continued, "I found out one of my buddies, he was another Jan-sixer, he had gotten released that night; his family texted me. And so, I was just beyond excited for everybody else, regardless of whether mine was legit. Although we were quite confident that I was on there. It's really hard to explain. Just God's been so good through every bit of this, and this is just like the icing on the cake. This was just amazing."
As a convicted felon on probation, Dillard was unable to vote, carry firearms or leave his federal judicial district without first receiving approval from his probation officer. With the pardon now in place, Dillard says he is excited to exercise those rights again.
"The big thing is just being able to vote and being able to have a second amendment, to carry a gun," Dillard explained. "You know, we were going to have to go the rest of my life with my wife being the only person that can have a registered firearm, and [it] having to be behind a locked safe in our home. I was really bummed about that."
"The other big thing is not having to check with my probation officer every month but also having to submit a request two weeks in advance to leave the Northern District of Alabama. Like, I don't have to text. I don't have to submit any request to anyone. I could just drive to go see my sister in Georgia. I could just drive to go see my family in Tennessee. This is an incredible feeling. Freedom, it just feels great."
The media has used the January 6 pardons as a cudgel against Trump, slamming the move as a blatant disrespect to law enforcement and democracy. Dillard recalled a recent news interview in which he was asked if he thought he owed anyone an apology, to which he responded with a resounding "no."
"I don't owe these people an apology," Dillard concluded. "The government owes my family an apology for the way that they treated particularly my mom and dad. They pointed guns at them and raided their home when I told [law enforcement] I would fully cooperate. So, we just totally reject that whole mindset. The American people spoke. They elected Trump in a landslide, and they made it clear because he's been saying all throughout the campaign that he's gonna pardon them. So, if that were a really big issue… I'm just really fully convinced that the average American does not care. It is literally just the media that keeps pumping that –media and politicians– that are pumping this whole fear-mongering that this was a really, really terrible day. And I feel a lot more confident in that than I've ever been."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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