The former Olympic swimmer expressed “relief” at President Trump's pardon, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
“I woke up this morning and thought, 'Oh my god.' Wow, this is it. I don't have to check with my probation officer anymore,” Clete Keller said.told the Poston tuesday. “It’s just a great sense of relief.”
Former teammates and coaches recognized Keller from video footage of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Keller was arrested the same month and pleaded guilty to a nonviolent felony in May 2021.
On his first day as president, Trump pardoned nearly all of the January 6 defendants, saying about 1,500 “full, complete and unconditional pardons” had been granted to rioters.
“What they did to these people was outrageous,” Trump said from the Oval Office.
Trump faces backlash from Democrats and some Republicansfor a pardon.
House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a thread Tuesday that Republicans in the House of Representatives “wanted to seek amnesty for the bloodthirsty mob that violently assaulted police officers on January 6, 2021.” I'm celebrating,” he said.
“I know that my actions truly angered and hurt millions of Americans,” Keller told the Post. “I said this to the judge, and I meant it. I acted without thinking. I didn't take the time to stop and think.”
Hill contacted the White House.
