WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon most of the Jan. 6 defendants on his first day in office brought excitement and hope to those close to the detained.
The White House announced the pardons shortly after Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, more than four years after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach and after the pardoned individuals spent years dealing with the legal system. His pardon affected about 1,500 people, and he commuted the sentences of others.
“All this stuff is finally coming to an end,” he said in a Jan. 20 interview. “You know, we never should have had to endure this as a country, but because we did, our country is stronger for it.”
Susan Sills, whose son Geoffrey was prosecuted in relation to Jan. 6, spoke to The Epoch Times while on her way to pick her son up from a Pennsylvania prison. She said they were both “excited” and would go out to eat to celebrate.
When asked whether she was surprised by the pardons, she said, “Not really.” She indicated there was some room for concern since her son was charged with assault.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, “approximately 608” people have been charged with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement agents or officers or obstructing ... officers during a civil disorder.”
‘Victory for Ashli’
The last four years have been “life-changing” for Mickie Witthoeft, she said, after her daughter, Ashli Babbitt, was fatally shot by a police officer on Jan. 6.During an interview with The Epoch Times, Witthoeft described Trump’s pardons as a “victory for Ashli.”
Witthoeft was one of many gathered across the street from the D.C. Central Detention Facility in Southeast Washington after news surfaced of Trump’s pardons. Music played as supporters stood in below-freezing temperatures, while police formed a barrier on D Street Southeast.
Trump’s pardons were a marked shift for the federal government.
“They have conducted themselves in a manner that adheres to the rule of law and honors our obligation to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of everyone in this country.”
Many, like Trump, disagreed. The pardons have freed many, and with their release begins the road to rebuilding their lives and paying off legal expenses.
“The road ahead is one of rebuilding, reconciliation, and being a voice for the voiceless,” Coffee said. “As we walk forward, we hold onto the truth that God redeems, restores, and rebuilds what the locusts have eaten.”
“I’m going to do my best to restore my life,” Morss, a former high school history teacher, told The Epoch Times. “I'd like to get back into teaching.”
Sills told The Epoch Times she had to take a “big chunk” out of her retirement to pay for an attorney.
Desiree Rowland, who goes by the name Osprey Sensei, set up an online fundraiser for her fiancé, Barry Ramey, who was in a halfway house in the early hours of Jan. 21. She said the fundraising goal of $125,000 includes legal costs and other expenses such as car insurance and food for Ramey at the halfway house.
“I think we’re going to celebrate in a big way,” Rowland told The Epoch Times. She said that she didn’t think “most people realize our entire life has been turned upside down” and that she took for granted simple things such as being able to talk on the phone or hold hands with Ramey.
Ben Pollock, who said his daughter and son were imprisoned in the D.C. Central Detention Facility, stood outside the jail while holding an American flag and wearing a “Trump 2020” hat.
