Trump ‘certainly’ Open To Meeting With Some Jan. 6 Rioters Granted Clemency

A White House meeting may be in the cards for some of the nearly 1,600 people charged in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol who received clemency from President Donald Trump.

Trump told reporters Thursday that he would “certainly be open” to meeting with some of the people who stormed the Capitol to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

The president, who pardoned most of those charged in the attack and commuted the sentences of 14 others, said he believes some of the people would like to meet with him.

“I haven't spoken to any of them yet, but I know they're very happy,” Trump said as he took questions in the Oval Office. “I gave them their life back. Their life was taken away from them unnecessarily and unfairly.”

Trump on Monday granted “full, complete and unconditional” pardons to about 1,500 people, including some who assaulted police, carried weapons and destroyed property or were awaiting trial in an attack widely viewed as a dark chapter in American history.

He commuted the sentences of 14 members of two far-right groups, the Proud Boys and Oathkeepers, who were convicted of charges that included seditious conspiracy.

His act of clemency upon taking office fulfilled one of Trump’s campaign promises, though he was never explicit about his plans for such a sweeping action.