President Donald Trump’s massive pardoning of January 6 rioters has been one of his most controversial moments so far. The 79-year-old pardoned 1500 individuals who were charged for being violent offenders during the riots. His scope and immediacy for the decision sparked immediate backlash from lawmakers and general public.
Trump framed the rioters as political prisoners. But he was accused of overlooking the severity of crimes that were committed by the rioters, which also included assaults on police. Recently, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee published reports against the pardons.
The report cited an analysis by Washington-based government watchdog CREW. It mentioned 33 of these rioters pardoned by Trump have either been re-arrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes since 2021. The fact that their reoffences have been whitewashed hints at Trump’s attempts to remain in power even after losing the 2020 Presidential elections.
Trump pardoned 1,500 rioters charged in the Jan 6 Capitol attack. pic.twitter.com/HHIbOtPJX1
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) December 5, 2025
Shockingly, crimes committed by pardoned rioters included heinous offenses such as child s**** abuse, kidnapping, s****l assault, aggravated robbery, reckless homicide, illegal possession of firearms, domestic violence, and others. CREW provided a detailed list of these 33 insurrectionists, including their names and links to media reports documenting their criminal activities.
Special mention was made of six of these rioters who were later charged with crimes involving m****s. Two of them were even charged with r***. One of the re-offenders pardoned by Donald Trump was Christopher Moynihan, who faced a felony charge in October over his attempt to attack House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Another convict, John Andries, was charged with violating a peace order by following the mother of his child around town.
Highlighting the willful pardoning of criminals by the U.S. President, Rep. Jamie Raskin of the House Judiciary Committee emphasized the $1.3 billion in restitution payments lost to victims and taxpayers. He said, “Our new analysis reveals that when President Trump issued a mass blanket pardon to 1,500 January 6 felons… he wiped out $1.3 billion in restitution payments and fines they owed directly to their victims and to American taxpayers.”
For context, Trump faced his second impeachment in 2021 for inciting insurrection after a violent crowd of his followers attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The assault resulted in five deaths over 36 hours and left another 174 police officers injured. Over the years, the U.S. President and some of his close aides have attempted to offer a different narrative of the fateful day.
Five years since January 6, 2021.
A mob incited by Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol to try to overturn an election he lost. Don’t let them rewrite history. This was an attack on the Constitution and the peaceful transfer of power. January 6 was not a “difference of opinion. pic.twitter.com/Kh2nTJxY4C
— Kat (@KatOcean__) January 6, 2026
They alleged that the rioters who brutally assaulted police officers and shouted slogans of hanging the then U.S. Vice President Mike Pence were actually non-violent in their protests. Trump allies called it their peaceful means to overrule Joe Biden’s existing leadership in America. As a result, on his first day in office after his second Presidency, Trump granted clemency to about 1600 of these rioters who awaited a trial for their offences related to the attack.
