President Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people for offenses related to January 6, 2021 events at the Capitol one year ago, according to the Epoch Times. The controversial blanket clemency covered everyone from unaware trespassers to those who damaged property and fought police.
Five former prisoners interviewed described January 6 as severely mischaracterized by media outlets that ignored their personal accounts. While grateful for pardons, all five maintain they were unjustly prosecuted and express no regrets about their actions that day.
Dan Leyden, a 58-year-old Chicago union electrician, lost his 24 year career at the Chicago Park District following prosecution. While serving what would have been a three year sentence, he missed his first grandchild’s birth. Days after his pardon freed him, fellow prisoner Matt Huttle died during a police confrontation. Worst of all, Leyden’s wife of 27 years succumbed to cancer last December after 15 months of forced separation.
“I just wanna go walk my dog at the park; my best friend of 29 years is gone,” Leyden said. Despite crushing losses, he maintains his spiritual resilience. “The American people deserve the truth. And that, he said, is worth fighting for.”
Alexander Sheppard, an Ohio resident who was 21 when prosecuted, hoped his pardon would clear his name. It hasn’t worked that way. “Many people still treat the ex defendants like we are totally inhuman,” Sheppard said, though he noted Vietnam veterans and Christians have shown consistent respect.
Sheppard witnessed the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt from approximately ten feet away, yet investigators never questioned him about it. Despite being represented by a public defender, his prosecution destroyed his startup company and forced him back into restaurant work.
Paul Hodgkins became the first person sentenced to prison over January 6, drawing intense media attention. FBI agents arrested the Tampa resident while he wore only a towel, handcuffing him and leaving him naked in his living room as they searched his home. The 43 year old served eight months after pleading guilty to a single charge.
“I do not regret that I stood up for President Trump at that time,” Hodgkins said. “I don’t regret standing up for my country when I know we were being wronged.”
Sara Carpenter, a retired New York City police officer who responded to the September 11 attacks, feels conflicted about her pardon. “My pardon looks great on paper. And then I say, ‘Wait a minute. It should never have happened to begin with,'” the 56 year old said.
Robert Morss embraced his internet nickname “Lego Man” after FBI agents seized a Lego Capitol model from his Pennsylvania home. The 32-year-old former Army Ranger served three and a half years before his pardon. He quit drinking, strengthened his Christian faith, and launched a film production company in Texas.
“Find a new mission that honors God and saves your country, and you’ll be okay,” Morss advised fellow defendants.
These five Americans prove that no amount of government persecution can break the spirit of those who refuse to surrender their belief in fair elections and constitutional principles.
