Thu Jan 23 18:50:00 IST 2025: ## Capitol Riot Pardons Rejected: Former Inmate Rejects Trump’s Offer
**Washington D.C.** – A January 6th Capitol riot participant has rejected a pardon offered by President Donald Trump, defying the president’s mass pardon of nearly 1,600 individuals involved in the attack. Pamela Hemphill, who served 60 days in prison after pleading guilty, stated that accepting the pardon would be an insult to law enforcement and the rule of law. “We were wrong that day, we broke the law – there should be no pardons,” Hemphill told the BBC.
Trump, in a White House press conference, defended his decision, describing prison conditions as “disgusting” and “inhumane.” However, the move has sparked criticism from within the Republican party. Senator Thom Tillis expressed his disagreement, citing concerns about Capitol security, while Senator James Lankford emphasized the importance of upholding law and order.
The decision to pardon those involved in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election also included high-profile figures like Jacob Chansley, the “QAnon Shaman,” who celebrated his release upon hearing the news.
This is not the first time a pardon has been refused; it is a right guaranteed under the US Constitution. The mass pardons, issued early in Trump’s second term, have added to the already intense political climate surrounding the former president’s return to office. Other controversial actions taken by the president in his first days back in office included a new executive order ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in the federal government.
First Piper 