Capitol Rioter Brands Trump “Dangerous Narcissist” After Rejecting Pardon
Donald Trump faced sharp criticism from a former supporter and January 6 rioter, who rejected his pardon for the Capitol riots and expressed regret over her involvement in the “MAGA cult.”
Pamela Hemphill spent 60 days behind bars for her role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Nonetheless, Hemphill claimed the pardon is a “slap in the face to the rule of law, the Capitol police officers and to our nation.”
During an interview with Sky News Wednesday (January 22), Hemphill admitted the Capitol attack “was an insurrection” and accepting Trump’s pardon would only serve to help “them rewrite history.”
At the time, Hemphill believed Trump’s “big lie that the election was stolen.” However, she later discovered it was “nothing but propaganda and lies.”
“But when you’re in the MAGA cult, they gaslight you so much and tell you not to listen to anybody but Trump,” she explained. “And you go along with them and don’t do your own research.”
Branding the President “a dangerous narcissist,” Hemphill described the mass reprieve as “a free ticket to be violent even more.”
Donald Trump Defends Pardons Amid Public Backlash
On his first day back in office, Donald Trump issued sweeping pardons and commutations for nearly all of the 1,500+ individuals charged in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Leaders of the far-right Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers militia were among those who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted.
The pardons apply to both convicted rioters and those still awaiting trial. Some rioters who received pardons committed violent acts, including assaulting police officers.
The move has proved unpopular, with a Reuters poll showing nearly 60% of Americans oppose pardoning all Capitol rioters. Police, families and some Republicans criticized the pardons.