President Trump issued pardons for some 1,500 defendants who participated in the siege on the U.S. Capitol four years ago, including the leader of a far-right group, fulfilling a campaign promise to exercise executive clemency on behalf of people he's called "patriots" and "hostages."
"We hope they come out tonight," he said in a signing ceremony at the Oval Office on Monday evening.
The order would grant "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." That means a pardon for Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys chairman, who had been sentenced to 22 years in the federal penitentiary.
The proclamation posted on the White House website also included commutations for 14 people, including Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers group.
The Justice Department is also directed to dismiss scores of pending cases that stem from the attack on the Capitol.
One D.C. federal district court judge appointed by Trump, Carl Nichols, recently said in court that blanket pardons for the Capitol defendants would be "beyond frustrating and disappointing."