Resolution Comes After President Trump Issued Pardons to 1,500 January 6 Offenders
Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined 47 Senate colleagues to introduce a resolution condemning the pardons of individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers. The resolution is in response to President Trump’s decision to grant full, complete, and unconditional pardons to over 1,500 people charged with committing crimes during the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Among those pardoned by Trump were 169 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers during the attack.
“The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was a violent assault on our democracy and a threat to the lives of police officers who work tirelessly to keep us safe,” said Bennet. “President Trump’s decision to issue these pardons erodes Americans’ faith in the rule of law.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, approximately 1,572 defendants have been federally charged with crimes associated with the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. During the attack over 80 U.S. Capitol Police Officers were assaulted, as well as over 60 officers from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. In addition to pardoning 1,500 January 6 offenders, President Trump also commuted the sentences of 14 others, including leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, far-right militias.
In addition to Bennet, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also cosponsored the resolution.
The text of the resolution is available HERE.