Donald Trump’s January 6 pardons appear to be a decision that has backfired. Two of these individuals who had been pardoned in connection with the incident have now been noted for becoming embroiled in new criminal activity.
As per an opinion piece by the editorial board of The New York Times, at least twelve separate criminal activities have been reported to have been committed by individuals whom Trump sweepingly pardoned. Their new crimes include heinous actions such as child molestation, child po——-y, and assault.
Also the dozens of men that assaulted officers at the Capital (Jan 6th) & caused the death of a few, stole items, smeared feces. Trump pardons them, & like 6-11 later are re arrested for soliciting minors
— Jon Braun (@CrimsonSpectre) April 1, 2026
Meanwhile, former U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner discussed the new crimes committed by Donald Trump’s pardon recipients. During an episode of his podcast titled Justice Matters, he noted that the alleged misdeeds by these individuals have now reflected back on Trump. In his words, “Those crimes are on Donald Trump’s hands.”
Joining the same conversation with Kirschner was former White House pardon attorney Liz Oyer, who warned that the twelve reported crimes so far were just the beginning of a more complicated issue.
Based on her own research, Oyer identified 22 other crimes committed by these pardon recipients. Shockingly, most of them involved mistreatment of women and minors, including instances of abuse and stalking. She added, “They’re really the types of heinous crimes that generally would be disqualifying from consideration for a presidential pardon.”
At the center of these pardons are several individuals whose cases have drawn scrutiny. The New York Times report lists many such examples, one of which is Daniel Tocci. On March 25, a judge sentenced him to four years in prison for possessing nearly 110,000 child po——-y images. During the January 6 riots, he was among those who entered the Capitol building and damaged federal property.
Given the evidence cited regarding the impact of the blanket pardon, the Donald Trump administration has continued to stand by it. House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed support for the U.S. president on extending these pardons, stating, “I stand with him on it.”
The New York Times report adds that the situation could change depending on the outcome of future elections.
Of course the people Trump pardoned are on a crime spree. They’re criminals–just like he is and guilty of far more. https://t.co/IuMCkowfS4
— Casey Cravens (@caseycravens) April 1, 2026
The report further gives a hint on how the midterm elections can perhaps reverse the debacle that has arrived post the January 6 pardons. The editorial board explained, “In this year’s midterms, he and the Republican Party he leads deserve to pay a political price for the pardons. Mr. Trump continues to lionize a violent attack on Congress carried out in his name — an attack that included threats to kill the vice president of the United States and physical assaults against police officers guarding the Capitol.”
In its conclusion, the report states, “The violence that the pardoned rioters continue to commit puts the lie to that weak excuse. The Jan. 6 pardons undermined the law, and they undermined public order. They were an affront to police officers everywhere. Mr. Trump has a constitutional right to pardon whom he chooses. The rest of us have a right to hold him and his enablers responsible for their actions.”
