One other Jan. 6 rioter has rejected President Trump’s pardon, saying that he “did those things” and his actions don’t benefit forgiveness.
“It’s almost like he was trying to say it didn’t happen. And it happened. I did those things, and they weren’t pardonable. I don’t want the pardon. And I also learned that I can reject the pardon,” Jason Riddle mentioned in an interview with NHPR printed on Friday.
Riddle, a Navy veteran, was sentenced to 90 days in jail in early April 2022 for his involvement within the 2021 Capitol riot together with three years of probation. He was fined $750 for stealing a guide and inflicting injury through the riot over 4 years in the past. Through the unrest on the Capitol, he entered the Senate parliamentarian’s workplace and drank a bottle of wine, per his plea settlement.
Riddle, who beforehand expressed curiosity in operating for Congress, mentioned he rejected Trump’s pardon to raised his probabilities of touchdown jobs.
“And I did reject the pardon because I’m thinking down the road [if] an employer looks in my background, they see misdemeanors… Misdemeanors with a presidential pardon — I think that tends to draw more attention,” he mentioned. “And I’m sure that’s fine in the MAGA world with whoever supports Trump, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering if the job I’m applying to, if they like Trump.”
Trump granted round 1,500 “full, complete and unconditional pardons” for rioters who have been charged regarding the Jan. 6 riot. In whole, 1,583 defendants have been charged. Some 600 of these defendants have been accused of resisting and assaulting law enforcement officials.
Riddle is one other defendant who has rejected the pardon the president issued earlier this week. Pamela Hemphill, who served time in jail over her actions on Jan. 6, mentioned the rioters have been “wrong” for storming the constructing.
“Accepting a pardon would only insult the Capitol Police officers, rule of law and, of course, our nation,” Hemphill mentioned on Wednesday.
