What happened
President Donald Trump Monday night granted a blanket pardon to more than 1,200 supporters convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. He also commuted the sentences of 14 far-right militia members and ordered the Justice Department to drop more than 300 pending Jan. 6 cases.
Who said what
Trump's "sweeping move" gives "some form of clemency to all those charged or convicted in the riot," The Washington Post said. The pardons are a "culmination of Trump's yearslong campaign to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 attack" from a violent attempt to overturn his 2020 loss to a "day of love" whose "patriots" were "hostages" of a partisan justice system, The Associated Press said. Trump's efforts have "gradually worn down the consensus that the riot marked one of American democracy's darkest days," The New York Times said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Several Republicans, including Trump's attorney general nominee Pam Bondi, recently criticized the rioters who attacked police officers. Vice President J.D. Vance said on Fox News earlier this month that "if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned."
What next?
Jailed Jan. 6 defendants are already being released from prison. A "pardon is not an expungement of a conviction," the Post said, but "restrictions on voting, gun ownership and other privileges are eliminated."
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
Political cartoons for November 11Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include GOP promises, a pardoned turkey, and stumping for Cop30
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limits
Speed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdown
Speed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
USDA orders states to ‘undo’ full SNAP paymentsSpeed Read The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
-
Trump’s trade war: has China won?Talking Point US president wanted to punish Beijing, but the Asian superpower now holds the whip hand
-
‘This is where adaptation enters’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump ordered to fully fund SNAPSpeed Read The Justice Department is appealing the decision
-
Trump tariffs face stiff scrutiny at Supreme CourtSpeed Read Even some of the Court’s conservative justices appeared skeptical
