Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt expressed her displeasure of newly sworn-in President Donald Trump's pardon of about 1,500 people in jail in connection with the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
Some of those pardoned attacked police officers that day, something Sheriff Witt says cannot be tolerated no matter where it happens.
"The men and women in uniforms, they have a right to go home safely to their families as well," Witt said on WCCO's Adam and Jordana Show Tuesday. "And again, I just, I don't agree with it. I do think I know that there are people who should stay, remain in jail, and we just emboldened a certain type of behavior for future incidents."
Trump’s action, just hours after his return to the White House on Monday, paves the way for the release from prison of people found guilty of violent attacks on police, as well as leaders of far-right extremist groups convicted of failed plots to keep the Republican in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.
The pardons are a culmination of Trump’s yearslong campaign to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 attack, which left more than 100 police officers injured as the angry mob of Trump supporters — some armed with poles, bats and bear spray — overwhelmed law enforcement, shattered windows and sent lawmakers and aides running into hiding.
When pressed by a reporter Tuesday about the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and whether there was a place for them in politics, Trump said, “Well, we have to see. They’ve been given a pardon. I thought their sentences were ridiculous and excessive.”
When pressed about his decision to free people from prison who were shown on camera viciously attacking Capitol police officers, Trump declared, “I am a friend of police, more than any president who’s ever been in this office.”
The president on Tuesday said he thought the sentences handed down for actions that day were “ridiculous and excessive” and said, “These are people who actually love our country, so we thought a pardon would be appropriate.”
While pardons were expected, the speed and the scope of the clemency amounted to a stunning dismantling of the Justice Department’s effort to hold participants accountable over what has been described as one of the darkest days in the country’s history.
Trump also ordered the attorney general to seek the dismissal of roughly 450 cases that are pending before judges stemming from the largest investigation in Justice Department history.
It's also a rare occurrence, where Americans in an AP-NORC poll mostly agree on a topic. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults favor pardoning most people who participated in the attack, according to the poll. A larger share — about 6 in 10 — oppose it, including half who are strongly opposed.
Republicans are divided on the the issue. About 4 in 10 Republicans favor pardoning many of the Jan. 6 participants, while about 3 in 10 are opposed.