Trump says will pardon Capitol rioters tonight, signs first round of orders at rally

US President Donald Trump said he plans to sign pardons on Monday to those involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, where his supporters tried to overturn the 2020 election results.

“Tonight I’m going to be signing on the January 6 hostages — pardons to get them out,” Trump said at a Capital One Arena rally. “As soon as I leave, I’m going to the Oval Office and will be signing pardons for a lot of people.”

Almost 1,600 people have been charged for their involvement in the attack on Congress by Trump supporters aiming to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election win, according to AFP.

During his election campaign, Trump promised to pardon those involved in the attack, referring to them as “hostages”, “patriots”, and “political prisoners”.

Trump, who signed the first round of executive orders, showed off his signature to the crowd.

Trump has signed on

1. Halting 78 Biden-era executive actions
2. A regulatory freeze preventing bureaucrats from issuing regulations until the Trump administration has full control of the government
3. A freeze on all federal hiring except for military and a few other essential areas
4. A requirement that federal workers return to full-time in-person work
5. A directive to every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis
6. Withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty
7. A government order restoring freedom of speech and preventing censorship of free speech
8. Ending the “weaponisation of government against the political adversaries of the previous administration”

with inputs from AP