President Donald Trump has issued pardons for individuals convicted of crimes related to the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, reigniting controversy and sparking debates about justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
Protesters gathered on the second day of pro-Trump events fueled by President Donald Trump 's continued claims of election fraud in an attempt to overturn the results before Congress finalized them in a joint session of the 117th Congress on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.
The individuals pardoned by Trump were part of an angry mob that stormed the Capitol that day four years ago in an effort to interrupt the Congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump had lost to Joe Biden. Hundreds of Capitol police officers were injured in the uprising, and members of Congress — including then-Vice President Mike Pence — were sent into hiding in fear of their lives. The riot delayed, but ultimately did not stop, the election's certification, which concluded early the following morning. Over the four years that followed, federal law enforcement charged more than 1,500 people from all 50 states and the District of Columbia for their roles in the attack. The individuals charged in the attack included die-hard Trump supporters, white supremacists, militia members, conspiracy theorists, and others. January 6, 2021, marked the first interruption of the peaceful transfer of presidential power since the Civil War, and the first assault on the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812. It outraged many Americans, though in the years that followed, many of those prosecuted and jailed for the January 6 insurrection were referred to as “hostages” by Trump, who vowed to pardon them on his first day in office — a promise he ultimately kept Monday, hours after taking an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. The pardon Trump issued Monday grants “a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” The recipients of the pardon will receive official certificates from the attorney general. Trump also further directed those jailed for their roles in the January 6, 2021 insurrection be immediately released. The president also directed the attorney general “to pursue dismissal with prejudice to the government of all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct related to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” Based on Trump’s proclamation, the following New York residents who were prosecuted and either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of charges in the January 6 insurrection have been pardoned:Among those pardoned was Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” who was photographed inside the Capitol wearing a horned headdress and fur costume. Chansley was caught on camera inside the Capitol building during the January 6 attack, wearing a fur costume and holding a riot shield apparently wrested away from a Capitol Police officer. Mostofsky, the son of Brooklyn Judge Shlomo Mostofsky, was also seen wearing a bulletproof vest during the incident, apparently also taken from a Capitol cop. In May 2022, Mostofsky pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding. His image, taken from inside the Rotunda, was recognized two days after the attack by members of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s campus security unit, where Moncada was a student. In 2022, Moncada pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering a restricted building or grounds. A man who appears to be Dominick Madden was photographed at a “Back the Blue” rally in Gerritsen Beach in August. Madden, 43, was picked up by the FBI at his Sheepshead Bay home on January 21, 2021. Madden, who had been a New York City Sanitation worker and QAnon sympathizer, was seen waving a Trump flag and shouting the QAnon slogan, while wearing a QAnon sweater. Madden was later caught on camera that same afternoon inside the Capitol entering the building along with thousands of other invaders and walking through the Rotunda and Senate wing. He was sentenced to 20 days in prison and ordered to pay a $500 fine. Samuel Fisher (aka Brad Holiday) of the Upper East Side was photographed taking part in the January 6, 2021 coup attempt on the U.S. Capitol and arrested by federal agents on January 20, 2021. Of the Upper East Side, who also went by the name Brad Holiday, brought “multiple firearms and a bulletproof vest” with him to the Capitol coup attempt on January 6. The day after the attack, January 7, Fisher allegedly wrote on Facebook that he was there, “it was awesome…” and that “people died… but if was f***ing great if you ask me… i got tear gassed and pepper sprayed (sic)… seeing cops literally run … was the coolest thing ive ever seen in my life.” Fisher pleaded guilty on July 6, 2022, to federal charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building, and disorderly and disruptive conduct. Anthony (Tony) Gonzalez, 46, was picked up at his girlfriend’s home in Glen Oaks, Queens on February 23, 2021. At the time, he had been a Republican district leader who made a failed attempt at running in a 2021 special election for the vacant 24th City Council District seat, according to the New York Times. Gonzalez was photographed inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, according to court documents. He was sentenced in January 2024 to 22 months in prison, followed by 24 months supervised release, and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine. As he told police, he had wanted to “be where the action was.
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