Hours after taking office for his second term as president, Donald Trump issued a flurry of executive orders, one of which granted full pardons to those facing accusations stemming from the January 6, 2021, protests at the U.S. Capitol. Will Pope of Topeka, was one of the recipients.
Referring to the defendants as “hostages”, Trump offered an explanation for his action that fulfilled a campaign promise:
“These people have been destroyed,” he said. “What they’ve done to these people is outrageous. There’s rarely been anything like it in the history of our country.”
Those jailed after convictions on January 6th offenses and those in legal limbo were being released moments after the pardons were announced.
Pope was in Washington to attend the festivities by invitation from an undisclosed person, having been granted permission from the judge who delayed his trial on one charge of felony civil disorder and four misdemeanors, following Trump’s victory.
Moments after the executive order was signed by the president, we contacted Pope, who offered this reaction:
“Obviously, I’m totally innocent and have never been convicted of anything and would win my case if it went to trial, but it’s wise for President Trump to drop these cases. It should have happened a long time ago. This was an extreme use of government force against entirely peaceful Americans like me, but we’ve been vindicated by the American people who voted for change.”
