A new report released on the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack reveals that at least 33 defendants pardoned by President Trump for their roles in the insurrection have since been charged, arrested, or convicted of new crimes.
According to findings from the nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the crimes committed by pardoned insurrectionists include plotting the murder of FBI agents, violent assault, strangulation, possession of child sexual abuse material, and reckless DUI homicide.
The House Judiciary Democrats released two new reports detailing that at least 23 individuals charged in connection with the January 6 case committed new crimes between the attack and President Trump's second inauguration. In four cases, the insurrectionists allegedly reoffended after receiving their pardons.
Most recently, Christopher Moynihan was charged with a felony for threatening to murder House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in October. John Andries was convicted in June for violating a peace order, while Brent Holdridge and Zachary Alam were charged in May with burglary and breaking and entering, respectively.
The reports also reveal that six of the pardoned January 6 insurrectionists are charged with committing child sex crimes, ranging from sexual assault to possession of child pornography. At least five were charged with illegal possession of weapons, and five were arrested for driving while impaired.
Those pardoned included at least 159 individuals with criminal records prior to January 6, according to a 2023 Seton Hall University report. One individual, Peter Schwartz, had 38 prior convictions dating back to 1991.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson dismissed the findings, stating that "the media's continued obsession with January 6 is one of the many reasons trust in the press is at historic lows."
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