Condemn the January 6 Insurrection, Pardons and Defend US Democracy

On this anniversary of January 6, we cannot ignore what has happened since. Donald Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people tied to the attack on his first day back in office, including more than 600 charged with assaulting law enforcement and over 170 accused of using deadly weapons or causing serious injury to our first responders. Reports show at least 33 of those pardoned have already been charged with new crimes, including child sexual assault and threats against Hakeem Jeffries. Jamie Raskin warned these pardons helped create “a private militia of proven street fighters,” not a reconciled or safer country. At the same time, the administration fired at least 15 Justice Department prosecutors who worked on January 6 cases and installed a pardon attorney who backed “Stop the Steal” and represented January 6 defendants. This is not accountability. It is the systematic dismantling of the rule of law that protects our democracy. I urge the House and Senate to hold public hearings, defend DOJ independence, and formally condemn these pardons and the events of January 6 as an attack on constitutional order and democratic accountability.