Almost 100 January 6 rioters charged with new crimes after being pardoned: report

Sensational stories abound of January 6 rioters who got charged with new crimes after President Donald Trump granted them clemency — but the full figure is much higher than anyone previously realized, Lawfare reported on Thursday.The number of pardoned rioters charged or convicted of new crimes, according to reporter Katherine Pompilio, is at least 97 — or more than 1 in 16 of the total 1,500.These crimes, she continued, run the gamut from relatively low-grade offenses like property damage, possession of drug paraphernalia, and trespassing to serious felonies like grand larceny, stalking, planning to assassinate law enforcement officials and prominent politicians, and defrauding government agencies — and some of the rioters have been sentenced to life in prison, like Andrew Paul Johnson, who was convicted of horrific crimes against children.At least 14 ... have been charged with sex crimes or crimes related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and at least six have faced domestic violence charges, said the report. Some of them were also charged with assault and illegal firearms offenses, while at least 20 were caught drunk driving or other substance abuse offenses.More damningly, the report continued, five recipients of presidential clemency were arrested in connection with conduct that occurred at least in part subsequent to Trump’s freeing them from prison — meaning that Trump’s clemency order on the first day of his second term may have actively facilitated criminal conduct. One such offender is Ryan Nichols, who was charged with deadly conduct and harassment on May 10, 2026, after allegedly threatening a person with a gun in a church parking lot.All of this comes shortly after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche refused to rule out January 6 rioters being eligible for Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund, though plans for that fund are now indefinitely on hold. It also comes after a rioter was hired by the Pentagon to work on national security issues.