From Left: Enrique Tarrio; Donald Trump and Stewart Rhodes.Photo:Stephanie Keith/Getty; Melina Mara-Pool/Getty; Susan Walsh/AP Photo

Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys (L) and Joe Biggs (R) gather outside of Harry’s bar during a protest on December 12, 2020 in Washington, DC; US President-elect Donald Trump arrives ahead of the 60th inaugural ceremony on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC; Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, center, speaks during a rally outside the White House in Washington, June 25, 2017

Stephanie Keith/Getty; Melina Mara-Pool/Getty; Susan Walsh/AP Photo

Both Proud Boys extremist group leaderEnrique Tarrioand Oath Keepers founderStewart Rhodesare now free after PresidentDonald Trumpused his first day in office topardon over 1,500 defendantsfrom the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and commute the sentences of 14 people.

Attorneys for Tarrio, 42, and Rhodes, 59, confirmed to theAssociated Presson Tuesday, Jan. 21 that their clients had been released within hours of Trump’s pardon. “We knew that was coming because he promised it,” Rhodes said after being released, perFOX 5. “Promises made, promises kept. We knew it was going to happen. I had no doubt it was going to happen.”

Both convicted rioters had been serving prison sentences since 2023 — Rhodes, 18 years and 36 months, and Tarrio, 22 years — for “seditious conspiracy and other charges” related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty

Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio in front of the Versailles Restaurant in Miami, before his arrest in connection with the storming of the Capitol. The Miamian, once a leader of the group, is no longer in charge

Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty

“The United States proved at trial that the Oath Keepers plotted for months to violently disrupt the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in astatementafter the conviction of Rhodes on May 25, 2023.

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Trump’s “full, complete and unconditional” pardon counteracts the efforts of government officials and federal investigators who have worked for years to hold accountable those responsible for the heavily armed mob that stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election results, resulting in disruption, injury and death.

Referring to the 1,500 people he pardoned as “hostages,” Trump, 78, told reporters on Monday evening, “We hope they come out tonight,” as he signed the proclamation. He added, “They’ve already been in jail for a long time. These people have been destroyed.”

Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers founder.Kayla Bartkowski/Getty

Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers founder, poses for a portrait after being released last night after spending the past 3 years in Cumberland, Maryland at the Federal Correctional Institution on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC

Kayla Bartkowski/Getty

“These pardons suggest that if you commit acts of violence, as long as you do so on behalf of a politically powerful person you may be able to escape consequences,” Alexis Loeb, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw numerous riot cases, told NYT.

She added, “They undermine — and are a blow to — the sacrifice of all the officers who put themselves in the face of harm to protect democracy on Jan. 6.”

source: people.com