Trump expected to grant clemency to over 1,000 J6 defendants: report

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to grant clemency to over 1,000 of those convicted on charges related to January 6, 2021. Four years after that day, the certification of the election of Trump will be taking place on Monday.

According to Bloomberg, there is a high expectation that Trump will grant clemency to over 1,000 people who have been convicted. During his Time Magazine interview last year, the president-elect, when he was asked about the pardon, said "I'm going to do case-by-case, and if they were non-violent, I think they've been greatly punished."

"And the answer is I will be doing that, yeah, I'm going to look if there's some that really were out of control," Trump added at the time. Despite heavy winter weather in Washington DC, the certification of the election has for the first time been designated as a “national special security event" that will be overseen by the Secret Service.

It is also reported that around 500 National Guard troops will be on standby to ensure the certification of the election.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, leading up to the storm, said that Congress would not be deterred from carrying out its duty in certifying the election of Trump, “We’ve got a big snowstorm coming to DC and we encourage all of our colleagues: do not leave town. So whether we’re in a blizzard or not, we are going to be in that chamber making sure this is done."

With the prospect of Trump using the pardon power to grant clemency to some convicted from January 6, 2021, some have been sounding off in criticism. This comes after President Joe Biden gave a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter, as well as many other clemency actions.

Those among the J6 defendants that could potentially receive a pardon include a Texas couple, Mark and Jalise Middleton, who claimed they were praying outside the Capitol when police forcibly pushed them back. They were convicted of assaulting, resisting, or impeding police officers. However, the defense said that video evidence showed the couple being pushed by the officers as they were turned toward each other with their backs turned to police.