In his first official action after taking charge at the White House, President Donald Trump issued pardons for his supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, attempting to help him overturn the election results.
He signed pardons for nearly 1,500 rioters, including those convicted of assaulting the police. He also commuted the sentences of around 14 people.
Donald Trump signed a large number of executive orders publicly within hours of taking oath as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, including withdrawal from the Paris Accord and issuing pardon for Capitol rioters.
He further signed many more orders after taking over the White House.
Soon after his inauguration at the Capitol, attended by several personalities from the US and abroad, Trump delivered an inaugural address in which he announced a record number of executive orders for the first day of his second presidency.
He signed as many as 80 executive orders, reversing several decisions by the previous Biden administration, including those relating to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, global warming, and sanctioning Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
He took charge at the Oval Office and signed pardons for the rioters.
“So this is January 6th, these are hostages. Approximately 1,500 for pardon. Full pardon. We hope they come out tonight," Trump said while signing full pardon for nearly 1,500 rioters at the Oval Office.
The pardons were issued for people who were charged with participating in the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. They were protesting against the results of the 2020 presidential polls in which Biden defeated incumbent Trump, calling the election “rigged".
While issuing pardons, Trump said he was pardoning 1,500 defendants and issuing six commutations.
With this, Trump fulfilled his promise to release his supporters who attempted to help him overturn the election results four years ago.
In 2020, he was voted out of the White House after an economic collapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As Trump denied his defeat and attempted to cling to power, he directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while the lawmakers were certifying the poll results. The development sparked a riot that dented the US tradition of peaceful transfer of power.
Trump, in the presence of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Elon Musk, and several others from the US and around the globe, including External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, said that he would sign executive orders to “bring back free speech" to the country.
“After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I also will sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America," he said.
He vowed to also restore law and order in the cities and said that he will not allow the weaponisation of state power to prosecute political opponents.
“Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents — something I know something about. We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again. And we are going to bring law and order back to our cities," Trump added.
Source: News18