Trump supporters celebrate as first January 6 prisoners are released | US Capitol attack

Extremist supporters of Donald Trump who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 began leaving prison on Tuesday, after the newly installed president issued sweeping pardons shortly after being sworn in on Monday.

The Republican president’s pardon of 1,500 defendants on Monday drew outrage from lawmakers who were endangered in the attack, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers militia who had his 18-year prison sentence commuted, was released after midnight on Tuesday in Cumberland, Maryland.

In Washington, DC, a group of about 50 people had stood outside the biggest city jail, withstanding temperatures below 20F (-7C), while not far away across town Trump was in the process of issuing the pardons and commutations to the January 6 defendants.

The mood outside Central Detention Facility in Washington was lively as people waited to see if those inside would not only be pardoned, but released that night. There was a sense of excitement and restlessness, with upbeat music and dancing as well as chants demanding “justice”.

“There’s anticipation, like knots in your stomach,” said Charlie Kalk, who traveled to DC from Oregon. “We just have a long-awaited sense of justice that’s finally happening. This was a horrific misrepresentation of justice and abuse against our fellow Americans.”

Some of those present were Trump supporters, in town for the inauguration, but Scott Tapely, 56, from Indiana said his tickets were rendered “useless” when the events were moved indoors – so instead he came down to the jail to show his support.

“We’ve been out here freezing to death and hoping to just get a glimpse and wish them well,” he said. “I’m living in Indiana, so I couldn’t be out here every day. But I’ve donated small amounts of money, doing what I can, saying prayers. It’s just so gratifying to see Donald Trump giving them justice.”

On his first day in office, Trump on Monday issued “full, complete and unconditional” presidential pardons for about 1,500 people who were involved in the January 6 attack on Congress, including some convicted of violent acts.

In addition to the pardons, he issued commutations for more than a dozen cases, shortening sentences for those that he said needed “further research”. Among those whose sentences were commuted was Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, and Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys. Both were convicted for seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 and 22 years in prison respectively.

“This is a big one. We hope they come out tonight, frankly,” Trump said while signing the pardons in the Oval Office on Monday night, referring to the convicted as “hostages”.

Later that night, Tarrio’s family said he had been released and that he would be flying to Miami on Tuesday.

At midnight at the DC jail, two convicted brothers – Andrew and Matthew Valentin – were the first to be freed, according to Trump administration officials who made the announcement outside the facility. They added without explanation that Elon Musk was “the mastermind” behind the brothers’ release.

To Contessa Mendoza, 48, waiting outside the jail in a red Make America Great Again hat, the prisoners were innocent.

“These people are in jail because they were present somewhere,” she said. “There was no violence committed.”

The events of January 6 did include violence, such as the beating of police officers. The Valentin brothers “violently grabbed an officer’s neck”, sprayed “a chemical irritant” at police and hurled a chair at them, according to their sentencing memo.

Mendoza, for her part, believes the diversity of Trump supporters is a sign that overturning the convictions reflects what Americans really want. “As you can see, many people, many different groups and different ethnicities and different religious groups have all come behind Trump during this campaign,” she said.

The night was emotional for some. Several members said they had relatives who were incarcerated over January 6, and were overcome with joy at their imminent release.

Ben Pollack from Lakeland, Florida, said his children Jonathan and Olivia were incarcerated, awaiting Trump’s pardon. “I was always worried because I was there too on January 6 and they could have arrested me at any time. You’re always wondering when it’s gonna come to an end, but fortunately Donald Trump kept his promises today, which I knew he would.”

He teared up as he shared a message for his children.

“I want them to know how much I love them and how proud I am. What Dad’s proud of two felons? But today they’re not felons, they’re free.”