Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday called out President Donald Trump over his decision to pardon nearly all of those charged for their participation in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
On his first day in office, Trump pardoned about 1,500 defendants, including those who assaulted police, and issued commutations for others, including members of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Pelosi said Trump’s move is “an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution.”
“It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power,” Pelosi added.
Thousands of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on that day in an effort to block the certification of now-former President Joe Biden’s election victory as Trump refused to accept his defeat. Pelosi, who had to be evacuated from the building due to the threat to her life, was among the mob’s targets.
Still, Trump and GOP lawmakers have blamed Pelosi for the violence that unfolded that day.
Trump, who had previously called the people charged for rioting at the Capitol “hostages,” said his action “ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.”
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He also ordered the Justice Department to toss out “all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct” related to Jan. 6.
Pelosi skipped Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Monday.