DOJ drops charges against 1,500 January 6 defendants in presidential clemency

Trump signed Presidential Proclamation granting full pardons to approximately 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants on Jan. 20, 2025, within hours of taking office, while commuting sentences for 14 militia leaders including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio whose convictions remained intact.

The blanket pardons covered defendants with extensive criminal histories including MHMatthew Huttle, sentenced to 2.5 years for child abuse, EHEmily Hernandez, who killed a woman in a drunk driving crash nine days after her pardon, and David Daniel, facing child pornography charges involving prepubescent victims.

Federal courts lose $2.7 billion in taxpayer costs after Trump eliminated court-ordered restitution payments that would have compensated the Architect of the Capitol for damages, with only $437,000 of nearly $3 million collected before pardons wiped out remaining obligations.

The Justice Department's largest prosecution in history ended abruptly when Attorney General Pam Bondi dismissed all pending Jan. 6 indictments with prejudice, releasing defendants immediately from federal prison including those convicted of assaulting 140+ police officers with deadly weapons.

Stewart Rhodes walked free from his 18-year seditious conspiracy sentence after telling followers "we aren't getting through this without a civil war" and stockpiling weapons for armed resistance to the 2020 election results.

Trump defended the mass clemency by claiming individual case review would be "very, very cumbersome" for 1,500 people, despite federal judges having already evaluated criminal histories during sentencing proceedings that determined punishment based on prior convictions.

House Oversight Democrats estimate taxpayers will absorb the full $2.7 billion cost after pardons eliminated defendants' legal obligation to compensate government agencies and law enforcement for attack damages and overtime expenses.