With the stroke of a pen, President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 granted clemency — either a pardon or commuted sentence — to all of the more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. But at an Oval Office signing event and in a Fox News interview, Trump made several misleading or false claims while explaining the reason for his decision.
Issues: capitol riot
No Evidence Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Was Pardoned by Biden
In his final hours as president, Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons for House committee members who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and the police officers who testified before that committee. Online posts make an unfounded claim that Biden pardoned the officer who shot and killed protester Ashli Babbitt. The officer, who was cleared of wrongdoing, wasn’t among those who testified.
FactChecking Trump’s ‘Meet the Press’ Interview
Meme Rehashes Old, False Claim That J6 Committee Destroyed Evidence
The House committee that investigated the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, issued a more than 800-page report presenting and analyzing the evidence about what happened that day. It also released videos, transcribed interviews, depositions and other documents. But some high-profile conservatives are now making the false claim that the committee destroyed “all the evidence.”