EXCLUSIVEJanuary 6 rioters beg Trump to pardon them when he takes office
Scores of Trump fans who were convicted in connection with the January 6 riots have said they expect to soon receive a pardon from the president elect.
Donald Trump emerged victorious in the 2024 election after sweeping the key swing states of North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
During his campaign, he had pledged to 'absolutely' pardon those involved in the January 6 Capitol storming, frequently referring to them as 'patriots' and 'hostages.'
When Trump is sworn in as the 47th U.S. President, he will have the authority to wipe away these cases. If he were to issue broad pardons, it would repudiate the largest criminal investigation ever conducted by the Justice Department.
While Trump has not clarified the scope or implementation of these potential pardons, lawyers are already moving forward by filing the necessary paperwork.
Lawyers representing individuals convicted in connection with the January 6 riots are now filing motions requesting pardons for their clients (pictured: Karen Jones)
During his campaign, Trump pledged to 'absolutely' pardon some of the 1,500 supporters involved in the January 6 Capitol storming
Approximately 547 defendants were charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including around 163 individuals accused of using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious injury to an officer, according to the US Attorney's Office.
In addition, 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol on January 6, and about 11 individuals faced charges for assaulting members of the media or damaging their equipment during the events of that day.
In an interview with Time Magazine, Trump said he would consider pardoning those who have been sentenced, even convicted by juries, for their actions on January 6.
Trump stated he would start issuing pardons on his first day in office but has not yet clarified the criteria his administration will use to assess cases, nor whether non-violent offenders will be treated differently from others.
'I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can't say for every single one because a couple of them, probably, they got out of control,' Trump told CNN in 2023.
'If somebody was evil and bad, I would look at that differently. But many of those people went in, many of those people were ushered in. You see it on tape, the police are ushering them in. They're walking with the police,' said Trump.
One such rioter was Karen Jones, who first spoke about her and her husband's participation during the comedy podcast Kill Tony - a show hosted by controversial comedian Tony Hinchcliffe - in June 2023.
Jones claimed that she and her husband, Robert Walter Jones, 72, had RSVP'd for a 'permitted event' called 'Stop the Steal,' which she believed would be just a regular Trump rally.
'Violence has never been a part of anything I've been involved in, and I don't even own a gun,' Jones said.
But investigators said the couple crossed restricted boundaries, entered the Capitol, and remained inside for about 30 minutes, even after being directed to leave.
Jones, 66, pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering a restricted area and was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest, three years of probation, $6,000 in fines, and $500 in restitution, on top of $60,000 in previous legal fines.
Speaking to DailyMail.com about whether or not she will be pardoned, Jones said: 'I don't think I'll have to ask. It's coming.'
She added that her lawyer contacted her and instructed her to begin filling out paperwork for a pardon shortly after Trump was announced as the election winner.
Jones is currently being represented by high profile lawyer Bob Sanger.
He told DailyMail.com he is unsure whether the standard, lengthy pardon application currently used by the Department of Justice will be required for January 6-related cases.
'I can say that, based on the President-Elect's comments (for instance April 30, 2024, in his Time interview), I believe that there will be a process set up by the new administration to process January 6 pardon claims,' Sager said.
'We do not know currently if the existing cumbersome application form to the Department of Justice Pardon Office will be required. It is more oriented toward people who are seeking discretionary pardons based, often, on post-conviction behavior.'
He also speculated that there may be an expedited pardon process, particularly for nonviolent offenders.
Jones, who is currently on house arrest, said she voted for Donald Trump in this year's election through a mail-in ballot. However, she was not allowed to campaign.
'I spent election night for the first time in my life alone with the ankle bracelet on,' she said.
'It was just so weird for me. I couldn't waive flags on corners or do Trump trains - but the judge said that was her intention to make sure that that I did not participate in as many election cycles as possible.'
Karen Jones (left) and her husband (right) said her lawyer contacted her and instructed her to begin filling out paperwork for pardon shortly after Trump was announced at the winner
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Jones, regarding whether or not she will be pardoned, said: 'I don't think I'll have to ask. It's coming'
Conservative influencer Isabella DeLuca was arrested in March for her involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot, which included stealing a table from the government building.
The Trump supporter was taken into custody in Irvine, California, and faced five charges, including theft of government property.
According to FBI documents, DeLuca was filmed 'removing, and aiding and abetting other rioters in removing, a table' from a Capitol office identified as ST-2M, then 'passing it to rioters outside through another broken window.'
The table was 'subsequently used to assault law enforcement officers guarding the Lower West Terrace Tunnel,' the documents stated.
FBI agents were alerted to DeLuca's involvement in the riot three days after the incident, and interviewed her on January 21, the day after Joe Biden's inauguration.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, her lawyer, Anthony Sabatini, said: 'I expect the new DOJ leadership to drop all pending charges; it's not a pardon, it's a voluntary dismissal of the currently pending criminal complaint towards my client.'
David Nicholas Dempsey received the second-longest prison term of those convicted for their participation in the insurrection. In January, Dempsey pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting police officers with a dangerous weapon.
Court documents revealed that Dempsey was recorded in numerous videos on the Capitol's lower west terrace on January 6.
Conservative influencer Isabella DeLuca has been arrested over her part in the January 6 Capitol riot - including stealing a table from the government building
Speaking to DailyMail, her lawyer, Anthony Sabatini, said: 'I expect the new DOJ leadership to drop all pending charges; it's not a pardon, it's a voluntary dismissal of the currently pending criminal complaint towards my client'
He was seen wearing various outfits, most often a black shirt, dark helmet, goggles, and an American flag cloth that covered much of his face, according to federal prosecutors.
In several still photos, Dempsey was shown wielding different objects, such as a crutch and a metal pole, either as bludgeoning weapons or as projectiles aimed at law enforcement officers defending the tunnel near the west terrace entrance.
Additional video evidence captured Dempsey apparently using pepper spray against the police.
His lawyer, Amy Collins, said she does not trust Trump to follow through on his promises of pardon.
'I am skeptical about any politician's campaign promises. And, this campaign promise strikes me as very logistically difficult to fulfill, among other things,' she told DailyMail.com.
'With that being said, I always hope for the best outcome for all of my clients.'
David Nicholas Dempsey received the second-longest prison term of those convicted for their participation in the insurrection
His lawyer, Amy Collins, said she does not trust Trump to follow through on his promises of pardon. 'I am skeptical about any politician's campaign promises. And, this campaign promise strikes me as very logistically difficult to fulfill, among other things,' she told DailyMail.com.
Christopher Carnell, a 21-year-old defendant from North Carolina, was convicted earlier this year on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his involvement in the Capitol attack.
The day after Trump was declared the next president, Carnell requested that D.C. District Judge Beryl Howell delay the status hearing set for later in the week, citing Trump's previous promises to pardon his supporters as the reason for the request.
'Throughout his campaign, President-elect Trump made multiple clemency promises to the January 6 defendants, particularly to those who were nonviolent participants,' their filing said.
'Mr. Carnell, who was an 18 year old nonviolent entrant into the Capitol on January 6, is expecting to be relieved of the criminal prosecution that he is currently facing when the new administration takes office.'
However, his request was denied.
Carnell's attorneys reached out to Trump's office 'regarding the timing and expected scope of clemency actions relevant to his case.'
DailyMail.com has approached Trump's campaign team for comment.
