Another Jan. 6 Rioter Rejects Trump’s Pardon, Says ‘I Did Those Things’ and ‘They Weren’t Pardonable’

Staff Writer
Jason Riddle. (Photo: The Justice Department)

Another person involved in the January 6th Capitol riot has turned down former President Trump’s pardon, explaining that his actions were wrong and didn’t deserve forgiveness.

“It’s almost like he was trying to say it didn’t happen. And it happened. I did those things, and they weren’t pardonable. I don’t want the pardon. And I also learned that I can reject the pardon,” Jason Riddle told NHPR in an interview released Friday.

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Riddle, a Navy veteran, was sentenced to 90 days in jail in April 2022 for his role in the riot. He also got three years of probation and a $750 fine for stealing a book and causing damage during the January 6th chaos. According to his plea agreement, he was one of the rioters who entered the Senate parliamentarian’s office and drank a bottle of wine.

Riddle, who had previously shown interest in running for Congress, said rejecting Trump’s pardon could help him in the future when looking for jobs.

“I rejected the pardon because I’m thinking down the road. If an employer looks at my background, they see misdemeanors… Misdemeanors with a presidential pardon — I think that draws more attention,” Riddle explained. “I’m sure it’s fine in the MAGA world with whoever supports Trump, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering if the job I’m applying to, if they like Trump.”

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Trump had issued around 1,500 “full, complete, and unconditional pardons” to rioters charged in connection to the January 6th attack. A total of 1,583 people have been charged, with around 600 accused of assaulting police officers.

Riddle isn’t the only one rejecting the pardon. Pamela Hemphill, who served time for her actions during the riot, said that accepting a pardon would have been an insult to the Capitol Police, the rule of law, and the country as a whole.

“Accepting a pardon would only insult the Capitol Police officers, rule of law and, of course, our nation,” Hemphill said on Wednesday.

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