Nearly all charged with Jan 6 Capitol riot pardoned

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Monday pardoned or commuted the prison sentences of nearly all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the US Capitol riot on Jan 6, 2021, including people convicted of seditious conspiracy and assaulting police officers.

Trump's action, just hours after his return to the White House, paves the way for the release from prison of dozens of people found guilty of violent attacks on police, as well as leaders of extremist groups convicted of failed plots to keep the Republican in power after he lost the 2020 election to former president Joe Biden.

The pardons are a culmination of Trump's yearslong campaign to rewrite the Jan 6 attack that left more than 100 police officers injured as the angry mob of Trump supporters — some armed with poles, bats and bear spray — overwhelmed law enforcement, shattered windows and sent lawmakers and aides running into hiding.