One individual who was incarcerated for participating in the Capitol riot in the United States four years ago has declined a pardon from President Donald Trump, saying: “We were wrong that day.”
Pamela Hemphill, who admitted guilt and received a 60-day prison sentence, insists that no pardons should be granted for the events of January 6, 2021.
Hemphill, known online as the “Maga granny” in reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, claimed that the Trump administration is attempting to “rewrite history” and that she does not wish to be associated with that.
Trump’s decision to pardon or shorten the sentences of nearly 1,600 individuals involved in the violent attempt to overturn the 2020 election was made just hours after he took office. During a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, he said: “These people have already spent years in prison, and they’ve suffered greatly during that time.”
However, his decision has elicited a mixed response from certain Republican politicians. Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina said that he “just can’t agree” with the decision, noting that it “raises valid safety concerns on Capitol Hill.”
Another Republican Senator, James Lankford from Oklahoma, told CNN: “I believe we need to keep asserting that we are a party committed to law and order,” adding that “I consider an assault on a police officer to be a very serious matter, and those responsible should face consequences for their actions.”
This is not the first case of someone turning down a pardon, and individuals have the right to refuse under the US Constitution, as ruled previously by the Supreme Court, according to Cornell Law School.
Among those who received pardons was one of the most recognisable figures from the riot, Jacob Chansley, also known as the self-proclaimed QAnon Shaman, who was released in 2023 after serving 27 months of his 41-month sentence.
