What America REALLY thinks of Trump’s plan to pardon January 6 protesters

New polls have shown that Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to pardon defendants on January 6.

During his campaign, he had pledged to “absolutely” pardon those involved in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, often calling them “patriots” and “hostages.”

When Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, he will have the authority to throw out the cases of the 1,488 people charged in connection with January 6.

In a new poll by Scriptsworking with Ipsos, they found that 64 percent of respondents oppose Trump’s plans to pardon those involved in the insurrection.

Their findings also showed that 68 percent of opponents of the plan were independent, while 56 percent of Republicans told pollsters they would support it.

With the economy a hot topic in the campaign, 51 percent of respondents now believe their financial future is brighter. While 42 percent said inflation would rise.

One proposal that did gain widespread popularity was eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, with 66 percent saying they somewhat or strongly agreed with the policy.

Nearly half of respondents, 45 percent, also approved of the new tariffs on imported goods that Trump has often touted.

There is also strong support for negotiating a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with 78 percent supporting peace talks.

When Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, he will have the authority to wipe out those cases of all 1,500 people charged in connection with January 6.

While Trump has not clarified the scope or implementation of the possible pardon, attorneys are already taking steps by filing the necessary paperwork.

Approximately 547 defendants were charged with assaulting, resisting or obstructing officers or employees.

About 163 people have also been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious injury to an officer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Additionally, on January 6, 140 police officers were attacked at the Capitol and approximately eleven individuals were charged with assaulting members of the media.

That pardon would be determined on a case-by-case basis once he returns to the White House, campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.

At least one convicted rioter has also argued that the former president’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris is justification for their actions.

Among those hoping to be pardoned is Christopher Carnell, whose lawyers asked a federal judge to postpone a hearing in his case hours after the election was called.

“During his campaign, President-elect Trump made multiple promises of pardons to the January 6 defendants, especially those who were non-violent participants,” the lawyers wrote: according to the New York Times.

‘Sir. Carnell, an 18-year-old nonviolent man who entered the Capitol on January 6, is expected to be cleared of the criminal charges he currently faces when the new administration takes office.”

At least one convicted rioter has suggested that Trump’s election victory is justification for his actions

Approximately 547 defendants were charged with assaulting, resisting or obstructing officers or employees

Federal Judge Beryl A Howell quickly dismissed the motion, without providing an explanation.

Lawyers for other January 6 rioters have said they will file similar motions — with even lawyers for former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio suggesting they would challenge his conviction once Trump returns to power.

The lawyers released a statement after Trump’s victory saying they wanted to “explore every avenue possible” to secure Tarrio’s release. He is currently behind bars serving 22 years in prison for his role in the uprising.

“We look forward to what the future holds, both in terms of the legal process for our client and the broader political landscape under the new administration,” the lawyers said.

Some rioters say they are confident they will be pardoned, with Edward Jacob “Jake” Lang posting on Wednesday: “I’M COMING HME!!!! THE POLITICAL PRISONERS OF JANUARY 6 ARE FINALLY COMING HOME!!!!’

“In just 75 days, on January 20, 2025, when Donald J. Trump is inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, he will pardon all J6 hostages,” Lang claimed.

He is currently in jail after federal prosecutors charged him with wielding a dangerous weapon against Capitol Police officers and obstructing an official proceeding.

Edward Jacob ‘Jake’ Lang appeared confident in a post on X that his conviction would be overturned

Lawyers for former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio suggest they would challenge his conviction once Trump returns to power

Footage of the chaos shows him hitting officers with a bat “multiple times,” according to an FBI affidavit.

Also Derrick Evans, who was sentenced to three months in prison in June 2022 told Newsweek he is “100 percent confident” that Trump will at least pardon non-violent offenders.

“And you might even see J6ers join the government or return to DC as members of Congress, or even the Senate,” he suggested.

Meanwhile, convicted rioter Zachary Alam told a federal judge Thursday that he deserved a new classification of pardon, which he called a “full pardon of patriotism.” ABC News reports.

He argued that this should come with monetary compensation, expungement of the charges on his record and assurances that he would never be charged again – characterizing anything less as a “second-class pardon.”

Alam has not denied his participation in the Capitol riot but has defended his actions, saying he did the right thing to protect democracy.

“True patriots do the right thing despite everything else,” he argued, claiming that his fellow rioters “fought, cried, bled and died for what is right.”

He then asked whether the insurrection would actually pose a threat to democracy if the American people were to re-elect the former president.

“Sometimes you have to break the rules to do the right thing,” Alam claimed.

But federal Judge Dabney Friedlich said Alam’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, were a “complete” attack on the U.S. Constitution and “not the actions of a patriot.”

She called him one of the “most violent and aggressive rioters” that day, after law enforcement officials said he told them, “I’m going to kick your ass.”

Federal prosecutors also accused Alam of smashing open the glass door of the Speaker’s Lobby and resisting three Capitol Police officers who tried to prevent the angry crowd from entering the House of Representatives chamber – where members of Congress were certifying the results of the 2020 elections confirmed. election.

Alam also allegedly climbed four floors of the Capitol, kicked in doors and threw a velvet rope over a balcony in an attempt to hit officers below, the Justice Department alleged.

He then allegedly shouted at his fellow rioters that they “needed guns” before fleeing the scene.

Alam was ultimately sentenced to eight years in prison with three years of supervised release – despite Trump’s victory.