WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump issued pardons for participants in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, including those convicted of assaulting police, in his first official action after returning to the White House as the country’s 47th president on Monday.
The pardons of about 1,500 people fulfilled Trump’s promise to release supporters who tried to help him overturn his election defeat four years ago. Another 14 people had their sentences commuted.
“These are the hostages,” he said while signing the paperwork in the Oval Office.