Among January 6 Capitol Rioters Pardoned or Commuted by Trump, 97 Reoffended

At Least 97 Out of Approximately 1,600 Pardoned Rioters Indicted for New Crimes

Among the more than 1,600 individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol riot who received pardons, commutations, dropped charges, or release orders from U.S. President Donald Trump immediately after his return to office, at least 97 have been found to have been indicted for other crimes.

On June 4 (local time), Yonhap News cited the New York Times (NYT) to report on a follow-up investigative study conducted by the media outlet Lawfare, which confirmed these findings through court documents and inquiries to county public record offices.

U.S. President Donald Trump is signing an executive order on January 20, the day of his inauguration. This includes pardons for those involved in the January 6 Capitol riot. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

The January 6 Capitol riot erupted when supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., occupying Congress and engaging in indiscriminate violence, following his claim that he had failed to secure re-election in the 2020 presidential election due to election fraud.

Of the 97 repeat offenders, 19 were indicted for committing new crimes after being pardoned or having their sentences commuted by President Trump. The remaining individuals committed additional crimes during the period between the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot and President Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025.

On the day he began his second term, President Trump exercised his presidential pardon authority to issue pardons, commutations, dropped charges, or release orders for nearly all those involved in the January 6 Capitol riot.

Katherine Pomfiliou, who authored the follow-up report, stated, "What I have found is that, for many, the patterns of behavior seen during the January 6 riot continued even after leaving the Capitol."

She further asserted, "It is highly likely that there are additional cases of recidivism among January 6 rioters not included in this report."

On January 6, 2021, supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, rejecting the results of the November 2020 presidential election, which was won by then-former President Joe Biden. This riot resulted in the deaths of five people, including one police officer, and injured more than 140 others. Photo by AP Yonhap News Agency

The NYT noted that the repeat offenses committed by these 97 rioters revealed by the investigation were far from exemplary citizen behavior. One individual was convicted in 2025 for causing another person's death through reckless actions.

There was also a case in which an individual was arrested for threatening another person with a firearm in a church parking lot. At least 16 people were indicted on charges related to sexual offenses or child sexual abuse material, and at least six were charged with domestic violence.

Other offenses included physical assault and illegal possession of firearms; at least 20 were indicted for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or for public intoxication.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the NYT, "These individuals were victims of the Biden administration’s ‘weaponized justice system,’" adding, "The White House has a strict pardon review process."

Meanwhile, in January, individuals who referred to themselves as the "J6ers" marched through Washington, D.C., on the fifth anniversary of the riot, demanding compensation measures from the Trump administration. Especially, those who had been convicted and imprisoned due to the riot, but later pardoned, claimed they had "lost their lives," having spent anywhere from several months to several years in prison.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.