For Immediate Release: Monday, January 20, 2025
CONTACT: media@ourrevolution.com
OUR REVOLUTION CONDEMNS TRUMP’S PARDONS OF JANUARY 6 RIOTERS AS AN ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY AND THE RULE OF LAW
Trump’s mass pardons and commutations for January 6 rioters send a chilling message: political violence in service to his agenda will not only be excused but rewarded. This dangerous precedent undermines the rule of law, emboldens far-right extremists, and imperils our democracy.
Washington, D.C. — In response to President Donald Trump’s issuance of mass pardons and commutations for individuals convicted in connection with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Our Revolution Executive Director, Joseph Geevarghese issued the following statement:
“Trump’s pardons of January 6 rioters, including those convicted of violence against law enforcement, mark a grave and unprecedented attack on the rule of law and American democracy. This move not only erases accountability for one of the darkest days in our nation’s history but also emboldens far-right extremists and grants them free license to continue their ideological reign of terror.
These are not patriots, these are traitors who will now be free to recruit others into what Trump views as his own personal militia.
By granting clemency to these individuals, who sought to overturn the peaceful transfer of power, Trump is signaling that political violence and the rejection of democratic norms are acceptable tactics in service to his authoritarian agenda. This is a direct threat to the foundations of our democracy and the safety of our communities.”
Trump’s unprecedented use of clemency to absolve individuals who attacked the Capitol sends a clear and chilling message: political violence can be excused when it serves his authoritarian agenda. Trump is brazenly eroding the rule of law and undermining the accountability necessary to deter future violence.
This act will undoubtedly embolden extremist groups, giving them a sense of impunity to continue their dangerous campaigns of violence and intimidation. It also sets a precedent that political loyalty can override the rule of law, weakening trust in our institutions and jeopardizing the democratic principles that hold our nation together.
As Trump dismantles the rule of law and cements alliances between authoritarian power and corporate wealth, the principles of democracy and justice are under assault. This is not just an attack on accountability—it is an attack on working people, whose voices are being silenced and whose needs are being ignored in favor of billionaires and extremists.
We must hold a light to Trump’s authoritarianism and the ways it fails working people, and in doing so, build a stronger, more resilient progressive movement. Our fight is against the dawn of a new Gilded Age, one that enriches the few at the expense of the many. We must offer an alternative rooted in justice, equality, and a vision of government that serves the people, not the powerful.
That’s why Our Revolution is committed to:
- Demanding Accountability: Ensuring that extremists and enablers of political violence face consequences, rejecting any normalization of authoritarianism.
- Organizing for Justice: Mobilizing communities to resist extremism and building a movement centered on working class dignity and rights of all people.
- Fighting for a Progressive Future: Fighting for policies that empower working people, expand democracy, and protect institutions from the grip of oligarchy and corporate dominance.
To request an interview with Mr. Geevarghese, please contact: media@ourrevolution.com
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Our Revolution is America’s largest grassroots progressive political organizing group, born out of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. It focuses on mobilizing communities, electing progressive champions, advocating for progressive policies, and transforming the Democratic Party to serve people, not corporate interests.