Trump's expansive Jan. 6 pardons were a last-minute decision
Trump's pardon of more than 1,500 supporters charged in the Jan. 6 attack went further than what he suggested he would do just a month earlier.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon virtually every person charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was made at the last minute as the inauguration approached — and it surprised some of his supporters and aides.
“He is who he is,” a person who worked on Trump’s transition team told NBC News. “Expectations are sometimes set as best as can be expected, and sometimes they change quickly.”
Two officials who worked on Trump’s transition said the decision to do a sweeping pardon was made just days before the inauguration. They, like others interviewed for this article, were granted anonymity to share details of private discussions.
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While Trump had long promised pardons for many, if not most, of those convicted of nonviolent crimes on Jan. 6, he had been less clear about how he would handle those found guilty of violent offenses, including 169 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers.
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