Washington, USA:
Supporters of Donald Trump charged with storming the U.S. Capitol are now hoping for a pardon from the U.S. president-elect, who has hailed them as “patriots” and “political prisoners.”
More than 1,500 people have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.
“I'm going to forgive a lot of them,” Trump, who ended his first term as president under a cloud of attacks, said during a CNN town hall amid his pledge to retake the presidency in 2024. It's one of the many times I've been there. White House.
“I can't say about all of them because probably some of them got out of control,” he said.
President Trump has repeatedly downplayed the violence on January 6th, even recently referring to it as a “day of love.”
More than 140 police officers were injured in hours-long clashes with rioters brandishing improvised weapons including flagpoles, baseball bats and hockey sticks, along with Tasers and cans of bear spray.
The attack on the Capitol followed a fiery speech by then-President Trump to tens of thousands of supporters near the White House in which he repeated false claims that he had won the 2020 presidential election.
Several defendants in the Capitol riot have already taken advantage of Trump's election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris to seek a stay of trial and sentencing.
Christopher Carnell, 21, from North Carolina, asked that the status hearing in his disorderly conduct case be postponed in light of President Trump's “multiple pardon promises.”
“We hope that once a new administration takes office, we will be freed from the criminal charges we currently face,'' Carnell said.
Judge Beryl Howell dismissed the request.
“Never face the consequences”
Another defendant, Jamie Avery, on Friday asked that his sentence for trespassing be delayed until after Jan. 20, 2025, when Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
“President-elect Trump, who played a key role in the events of January 6, 2021, has repeatedly stated publicly that if elected, he would pardon the January 6 protesters,” her lawyer wrote in court. stated in a submission to.
“It is a huge disparity for Mr. Avery to spend even one day in prison when the man who played a central role in organizing and instigating the events of January 6th will never face any consequences. It will produce.”
Judge Christopher Cooper denied Avery's request to delay sentencing.
Trump was indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results.
However, the case never proceeded to trial and is now closed due to the Justice Department's policy not to prosecute sitting presidents.
President Trump has not ruled out pardoning members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, far-right extremist groups who were convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to the harshest prison sentences.
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio is serving a 22-year sentence for directing the military assault on the Capitol, while Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison. I received it.
According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, 1,532 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol siege, 571 of whom are charged with assaulting, resisting or obstructing a law enforcement officer.
More than 940 defendants have pleaded guilty to various charges, and a further 195 have been convicted at trial.
Before leaving office in January 2021, President Trump had a number of close political contacts who were indicted on federal charges, including his 2016 presidential campaign managers Paul Manafort and Steve Bannon. He pardoned his allies.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
