A woman convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot said Sunday she would reject a pardon by President-elect Donald Trump if he follows through on a promise of clemency for many offenders.
“I will refuse a pardon from felon Trump!” Pamela Hemphill, a grandmother in her 70s, wrote on X in a post tagged to former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.).
Hemphill wrote that she had been bullied by MAGA followers. She accused them of trying to sabotage her standing with her parole officer after she urged Trump not to highlight her case. He had called it a “HORRIBLE” injustice in a Truth Social post.
“I pleaded guilty because I was guilty!” she wrote as a rebuttal in 2023 while urging him to “stop the spin,” HuffPost reported.
In a plea agreement, Hemphill pleaded guilty to misdemeanor parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building and was sentenced in 2022 to 60 days behind bars, 36 months’ probation and $500 restitution.
She has already served her time. The Department of Justice website says that pardons for federal misdemeanor crimes are uncommon because those convictions have far less of an impact on civil liberties than felony convictions.
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Hemphill told HuffPost on Monday that she remains on probation until September, which means she cannot have a weapon or leave the state until then.
Trump’s status as a felon was cemented when he was sentenced to unconditional discharge for his hush money conviction last week. While the decision essentially means no punishment, it does leave his conviction intact.
