U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R–Auburn) is supporting President Donald Trump's decision to pardon or commute the sentences of those jailed or charged in connection to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, despite the move garnering a bevy of criticism.
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 that occurred while Congress was certifying the 2020 election.
The charges ranged in severity. Some were accused or charged with violent offenses, while others were charged with nonviolent crimes. Many of those caught up in the sweeping move had already concluded their sentences, while others had not even been sentenced.
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The pardons have been criticized by Democrats and other Trump opponents and also by police unions and others in law enforcement.
Those opposed to the pardons generally complained that non-violent offenders were pardoned alongside violent ones, some of which were accused of assaulting law enforcement during the event.
Supporters of the pardons expressed the common belief that many of the prosecutions were politically motivated, leading to hundreds of people being unjustly detained and receiving harsh sentences. This belief was bolstered by critics of former President Joe Biden on his final day in office after he issued preemptive pardons for the congressional January 6 Committee, which Trump and others have accused of criminal misconduct in their investigation of the riot.
The treatment of the January 6 prisoners has been the subject of the 2023 book "Due Process Denied," by Cynthia Hughes, who wrote of multiple defendants believed to be wrongfully detained. Some were allegedly abused by jail staff and left without access to their families for months on end.
SEE: U.S. Rep Barry Moore: January 6 committee' sham outfit' created to attack Donald Trump
The United States Supreme Court ruled in January 2024 that federal prosecutors had improperly charged hundreds of defendants under a faulty interpretation of federal statute. The pardon also included those who were not even in Washington D.C. during the riot but were convicted of conspiracy or some related charge.
On Wednesday, Tuberville applauded Trump's move, saying that the pardons might not have been needed if the January 6 committee had not engaged in dishonest tactics.
"President Trump had every right to do this," Tuberville said. "Some of these people have been in jail for years only for misdemeanors, and they've served their time. And there's even some people that were not even in Washington D.C. that have been in jail for three years. You know, the DOJ under Joe Biden turned [January 6] into an attack on just Republicans. I mean, it wasn't an American issue; it's Democrat vs. Republican. We need to end all these political prosecutions and get back to law and order."
"If we'd had a January 6 committee that was bipartisan and not just partisan like Liz Cheney's group, this would've been solved two years ago, but they politicized it. They handled it very poorly. They didn't communicate with the American people. They weren't for the prisoners in jail. They were for themselves. Why in the world would Joe Biden have to pardon the January 6 committee? I'll tell you why: they were corrupt, and they hid things from us here in Congress. They hid things from the American people, and it's a shame what these people had to go through. Some people did more than others. But, at the end of the day, they've served their time. Let's get this behind us. And if we wanna go after anybody, let's go after the people that we're actually corrupt like the [Washington D.C.] mayor, the people around these jails that abused a lot of these political prisoners, and let's get the real truth out."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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