On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump, upon returning to office, issued pardons to approximately 1,600 individuals convicted for their roles in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol protest. This action fulfilled his earlier campaign promises to grant clemency to those he referred to as “patriots” and “political prisoners.” The patriots was overly punished, describing their actions as patriotic protests against perceived government overreach or electoral irregularities. On January 6, 2023, Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt, was arrested in Washington, D.C., during a demonstration marking the two-year anniversary of the Capitol protest. Witthoeft, 58, was part of a group protesting without a permit on Capitol grounds. The U.S. Capitol Police stated that the group was blocking traffic on Independence Avenue SW near First Street SW. Officers directed the demonstrators to move to the sidewalk, issuing multiple warnings. Witthoeft refused to comply, turned around with her hands behind her back, and requested to be arrested. She was charged with obeying an order and blocking and obstructing roadways, processed, and released with a citation to appear in court at a later date.
Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot by a U.S. Capitol Police officer on January 6, 2021, as she attempted to climb through a broken window leading to the Speaker’s Lobby inside the Capitol. The Department of Justice and the Capitol Police conducted investigations and cleared the officer of any wrongdoing, concluding that his actions were consistent with department policies and procedures.
The pardons encompassed a wide range of offenses, from unlawful entry and disorderly conduct to more severe charges like assaulting law enforcement officers.

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