Grave Injustice Only Beginning

Here’s what Donald Trump told Time magazine in an interview just last month:

TIME: Have you decided yet whether you're going to pardon all of the January 6 defendants?

Trump: Yes.

TIME: You’re going to do all of them? 

Trump: I'm going to do case-by-case, and if they were non-violent, I think they've been greatly punished. And the answer is I will be doing that, yeah, I'm going to look if there's some that really were out of control.

Here’s what actually happened. On his first day in office, he commuted the sentences of 14 named individuals freeing them immediately, and he gave a blanket pardon to everyone else convicted of any offense related the assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Any offense. That included 184 people convicted of assaulting or resisting a police officer, and 135 others convicted of assault, threats, violent entry, or weapons charges.

Those pardoned included:

• David Dempsey, of Van Nuys, CA, who used his hands, feet, flag poles, crutches, pepper spray, broken pieces of furniture, among other things, to injure at least two officers. He wore a bullet-proof vest and a gaiter that covered much of his face during the riot. He climbed over other rioters on the steps of the Capitol to repeatedly attack police, striking an officer's helmet and cracking his face shield. He was sentenced to 20 years.
• Paul Russell Johnson, of Lanexa, VA, who used a megaphone to recruit others to join him in attacking Capitol police. He grabbed bicycle racks being used as barricades by U.S. Capitol Police, lifted them into the air and smashed them into several officers. He was convicted of civil disorder and assault on police.
• Steven C. Randolph, 35, of Harrodsburg, KY, joined Johnson in using bike racks to batter police officers. Randolph picked up the bike rack and used it to push Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, who fell to the ground suffering head injuries. “She could’ve been killed,” the judge said. Then, while Edwards was on the ground, Randolph attacked another officer, video showed. He was convicted of civil disorder and assault on police.
• Andrew Taake, who pepper-sprayed police officers defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and hit one with a metal whip.
• Christopher Alberts, who carried a loaded 9 mm pistol onto Capitol grounds that day and hit police officers with a wooden pallet.
• Steven Cappuccio, who held his cellphone in his mouth so he could beat an officer using both of his hands, including with the officer’s own baton.

Then there are the 14 people who were freed by commutation of their sentence. Those were the members of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys who were convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges related to “plotting to oppose, by force, the lawful transfer of presidential power.” These are people who had plotted an assault on the Capitol in advance, including staging of weapons in various places around the District. These are people who were convicted of acts of domestic terrorism, and had terrorism enhancements applied to their sentences. Here’s a chilling description from the announcement of their conviction:

The defendants also, collectively, employed a variety of manners and means, including: organizing into teams that were prepared and willing to use force and to transport firearms and ammunition into Washington, D.C.; recruiting members and affiliates; organizing trainings to teach and learn paramilitary combat tactics; bringing and contributing paramilitary gear, weapons, and supplies – including knives, batons, camouflaged combat uniforms, tactical vests with plates, helmets, eye protection, and radio equipment – to the Capitol grounds; breaching and attempting to take control of the Capitol grounds and building on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to prevent, hinder and delay the certification of the electoral college vote; using force against law enforcement officers while inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; continuing to plot, after Jan. 6, 2021, to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power, and using websites, social media, text messaging and encrypted messaging applications to communicate with each other and others.

According to the president, his pardons and commutations end a “grave national injustice”. No. This act does not end a grave national injustice, it begins one.