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Government, Donald Trump

Trump Can’t Rewrite the History of January 6, 2021

Justice had nothing to do with Trump’s 1500 pardons and commutations.

John Dean
Dean’s List
Published in
3 min readJan 21, 2025

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Photo by Tyler Merber via Wikimedia Commons.

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, two militia groups central to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, had a good day yesterday. President Trump gave complete pardons to the leaders of both groups as well as approximately 1500 other people involved in the January 6 insurrection. Individuals who attacked police officers, broke windows, and sought to hang Vice President Pence will walk free under Trump’s pardon.

Why the pardons? Trump wants to rewrite history. As documented in the criminal indictments brought against Trump and the report of the House Select Committee on the January 6, 2021 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, after his 2020 defeat, Trump sought to retain the presidency by force and fraud. He summoned a crowd of thugs that marched to the Capitol on January 6, urged them to “fight,” and refused to direct them to stand down once the violence started.

Trump’s shameful criminal actions on January 6 and his dereliction of duty after the assault on the Capitol started was Trump’s presidential legacy, at least until he won the 2024 election. In Trump’s mind, his win last November gives him the chance to rewrite the legacy of…

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Dean’s List
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Published in Dean’s List

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John Dean
John Dean

Written by John Dean

Writing on politics, photography, nature, the environment, dogs, and, occasionally, humor. Editor of Dean’s List.

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