4:30Five years following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, individuals pardoned by President Donald Trump and their backers confront Capitol Police officers on Jan. 6, 2026.ABC News
On the inaugural day of his second term, President Donald Trump granted clemency to over 1,500 people charged with or convicted of offenses linked to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol and issued blanket pardons for anyone present at or near the Capitol on that day.
Among those pardoned were more than 600 rioters found guilty of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing law enforcement that day. While signing the order, Trump characterized the defendants as "hostages".
On the five-year anniversary of Jan. 6, several of those rioters returned to the Capitol, including Jacob Lang, a man accused of assaulting police officers during the riot.
In an interview with ABC News’ Jay O’Brien, Lang expressed no remorse for his involvement in the violence, labeling Capitol Police as "redcoats" and "traitors to the Constitution."
Jacob Lang, one of the pardoned rioters, told ABC News’ Jay O’Brien that he hopes that the judges and prosecutors who oversaw his case will be jailed.ABC News
After receiving his pardon, Lang became active in conservative politics, initiating a Senate campaign in Florida and leading an anti-immigration demonstration in Minneapolis the previous weekend.
The pardons had a significant impact on Capitol Police officers who experienced a decline in morale and mental health following the attack. According to Reuters, at least four police officers who responded to the riot later died by suicide.
Former Capitol Police officer Winston Pingeon stated to ABC News that the pardons “completely erased … what little shred of justice and accountability there was.”ABC News
Former Capitol Police officer Winston Pingeon remarked to ABC News that with the pardons, "what little shred of justice and accountability there was is long gone. The pardons completely erased that."
However, for some of those pardoned, clemency was not sufficient. Lang indicated to ABC News that his next aspiration was for the judges and prosecutors involved in his case to be imprisoned.
He stated, "the next significant moments of the healing process … are when [Jan. 6 rioters] are elected officials, right? When our traitor, treasonous prosecutors, judges, [Jan. 6 Select Committee members], when they occupy the same cells we did."
Brendan Ballou, who prosecuted Jan. 6 cases and resigned after Trump’s inauguration, said he is “worried about the message that the pardon has sent” to rioters.ABC News
At least 15 prosecutors involved in the Jan. 6 cases were dismissed after Trump assumed office. Others, such as Brendan Ballou, resigned shortly after Trump’s inauguration. He describes the pardons as "a get-out-of-jail-free card" and expressed concern regarding the message that the pardon has conveyed to rioters, particularly those who committed acts of violence.
"I think it indicates that if you are sufficiently loyal to this president, you can commit violence in his
Sourse: abcnews.go.com