Jan 21, 2025 - Politics

Pennsylvania Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump

Illustration of a key with teeth in the shape of an American flag — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

President Trump's sweeping pardons for nearly all Jan. 6 defendants included many Pennsylvanians.

The big picture: Trump made pardoning Jan. 6 rioters a key campaign pledge, repeatedly extolling them as "patriots" and "hostages" of the justice system and claiming they'd been treated unfairly.

By the numbers: Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 defendants and commuted sentences for 14 others on Monday.

Pennsylvanians accounted for roughly 110 of the Jan. 6 riot cases, per NPR.

Zoom in: Zachary Rehl — the former president of the Proud Boys' Philadelphia chapter found guilty of multiple felonies, including seditious conspiracy — had his sentence commuted.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2023.

Riley June Williams of Harrisburg was released from prison Tuesday. She was convicted of several Jan. 6-related charges and was to be released from prison in May, per Penn Live.

She was also charged with but not convicted of helping steal a laptop from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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Pennsylvania Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump

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