Trump says one of his first actions would be freeing imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters

Former President Trump said Monday that freeing rioters imprisoned for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol would be one of his first actions he takes if reelected in November.

“My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump has repeatedly expressed sympathy for rioters charged in connection to Jan. 6, when his supporters violently clashed with law enforcement and stormed the complex to try to halt the certification of President Biden’s 2020 victory.

The former president has said he would consider pardoning some of those charged in connection to the Capitol attack, and he spoke last year at a fundraiser organized for Jan. 6 defendants.

Trump himself is facing federal charges in Washington, D.C., over his attempts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election, and he is facing charges in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.

As of Jan. 6, 2024, more than 1,200 defendants had been charged in connection to the attack on the Capitol. More than 450 have been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees, according to the Justice Department.

More than 700 individuals have pleaded guilty to various federal charges, the Justice Department said.

Trump is expected to clinch the Republican presidential nomination in the coming days, setting up a rematch in November with President Biden.