Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., blasted the president Donald Trump Monday evening for pardoning more than 1,000 people involved in the January 6, 2021 riots.
Trump signed pardons for about 1,500 defendants 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 extremist groups Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
BIDEN TAKES DEPARTING JAB AT TRUMP, SAYS HE WAS A ‘REAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY’
President Donald Trump signed pardons for approximately 1,500 suspects charged with crimes stemming from the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
But Pelosi called the move “shameful” and said she remembered the “courage” of the law enforcement “heroes” who “ensured democracy’s survival.”
“The president’s actions are an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma while protecting the Capitol, Congress and the Constitution,” said Pelosi, who did not attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday , in a statement. posted on X.
“It is shameful that the president has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who risked their lives in an effort to undermine the peaceful transfer of power,” Pelosi said .
DOJ SEEKS TO BLOCK JAN. 6 THOUGHTS FROM ATTENDED TRUMP’S INAUGURATION
US President Donald Trump sings a second executive order during the inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of his second presidential term, in Washington, US, January 20, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
The Justice Department reported that approximately 140 police officers were attacked during the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. This included law enforcement officers from both the U.S. Capitol Police and approximately 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.
President Donald Trump announced during his inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC that he would pardon the so-called ‘hostages’. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Trump announced earlier on Monday during his inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC that he would pardon the so-called ‘hostages’.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Tonight I’m going to sign the J6 hostages pardon to get them out,” Trump said during the parade at Capital One Arena. “I’m going to the Oval Office and we’re going to sign pardons for a lot of people.
So far, judges or a jury have convicted about 250 people charged for their involvement in the riot after a trial, and by January more than 1,000 had pleaded guilty to crimes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
