A 71-year-old Capitol rioter rejects Trump's pardon: "It's an insult to the Police and our nation"
Pamela Hemphill claims that she feels like she has been part of "a cult" and accuses "the criminals" of "rewriting history."
More information: Trump opens his "golden era" with an order for millions of deportations and the pardon of Capitol rioters
Pamela Hemphill, a woman who was part of the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, hasrejected the pardon granted by the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, the newspaper Idaho Statesman reported on Wednesday.
"Accepting the pardon would be aninsult to the Capitol Police officers, to the rule of law, to our nation," said Hemphill, 71, who resides in Boise, Idaho, in a phone interview with that newspaper.
"The criminals of January 6 are trying to rewrite history by claiming it was not a riot or an insurrection. I do not want to be part of their attempt to rewrite what happened that day," she added.
Hemphill was informed on Tuesday by her lawyer thatshe had been the beneficiary of Trump's pardon along with about 1,500 people who took part in that insurrection attempt to try to stop the ratification of Joe Biden's electoral victory.
This woman, who posted videos on social media of herself entering the Capitol that day, was sentenced to two months in prison, three years of probation, and a $500 fine after a plea agreement with the prosecution for a misdemeanor offense.
Hemphill revealed in an interview that she feels likeshe was part of "a cult" that made her believe that Trump had been a victim of electoral fraud in 2020 and that it was necessary to prevent Joe Biden from assuming power.
Her thoughts are now with the injured police officers: "It's as if the country had let them down. They were the heroes that day."
Another of the pardoned, arrested again
Another of those granted presidential pardon, Daniel Ball, 39, was arrested this Wednesdayfor possession of a firearm. The individual is now accused of possessing a firearm or ammunition in May 2023, having previouslybeen convicted of domestic violence offenses, as well as resisting and assaulting law enforcement.
Ball had been charged in Washington D.C. withtwelve charges related to the Capitol attack, including using an explosive device against police officers and assault or resistance to authorities, and was in pretrial detention.
The president signed the presidential pardon and commutation of sentences on Monday in the Oval Office of the White House, where he emphasized that there are about 1,500 people benefiting from this measure, whom he called "hostages". In addition to the pardons, there are six commutations.
On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the United States Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the ratification of Democrat Joe Biden's electoral victory in the November 2020 presidential elections.
*This article has been translated automatically using artificial intelligence
