Nancy Pelosi slams Trump’s ‘shameful’ pardons of Jan. 6 defendants

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., slammed President Donald Trump on Monday night for pardoning more than 1,000 people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots. 

Trump signed pardons for approximately 1,500 defendants who were charged with crimes stemming from the attack on the U.S. Capitol, fulfilling a promise he made in December to act quickly and pardon them. 

Trump also commuted the sentences of six people on Monday, including the leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys extremist groups.

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President Donald Trump signed pardons for approximately 1,500 defendants who were charged with crimes stemming from the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.  (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

But Pelosi called the move “shameful,” and said to remember the “courage” of law enforcement “heroes” who “ensured that democracy survived.” 

“The President’s actions are an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution,” Pelosi, who didn’t attend Trump’s inauguration Monday, said in a statement posted to X. 

“It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power,” Pelosi said.

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President Donald Trump sings a second executive order during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of his second presidential term, in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.  (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

The Justice Department reported that approximately 140 police officers were assaulted during Capitol storming on Jan. 6, 2021. That included law enforcement members from both the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.

President Donald Trump announced at his inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., he would issue pardons for the so-called “hostages.”  (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Trump announced earlier on Monday at his inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., he would issue pardons for the so-called “hostages.” 

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“Tonight I’m going to be signing on the J6 hostages, pardons to get them out,” Trump said at the parade at Capital One Arena. “I’m going to the Oval Office and we’ll be signing pardons for a lot of people.

So far, judges or a jury after a trial have convicted roughly 250 people who faced charges for their involvement in the riot, and more than 1,000 had pleaded guilty to crimes as of January. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.