Jan. 6ers already got pardoned. Will they get their money back too?

The Indicator from Planet Money

NPR

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4.7 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 2025, President Trump pardoned more than 1,500 of the Jan.6 rioters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In addition to being convicted of crimes, many of the Jan. 6ers paid fines, the bulk of which went toward repairing the damage to the Capitol. After being pardoned, some of them want their money back. Today on the show, are they entitled to get those fines refunded?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Planet Money book is in stores and maybe even on your local bestseller shelf.
0:04.6	Thank you.
0:05.4	We couldn't have made the NYT bestseller list without you.
0:09.4	NPR.
0:20.0	Just over five years ago, Americans and people around the world watched this unfold live on TV.
0:27.8	As we all remember, over 2,000 supporters of President Trump ransacked the United States Capitol in a brazen attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
0:38.0	They pepper sprayed, bludgeoned, stabbed, and tasered people, including police officers.
0:45.3	They smashed windows. All told, riders caused about $3 million in damage to the Capitol building.
0:56.8	Seven people died.
1:02.2	Over the next few years, rioters were charged and convicted of a host of crimes,
1:05.8	including seditious conspiracy and assaulting federal officers.
1:09.7	And then, in 2025, with Trump back in office... Approximately 1,500 for a pardon.
1:14.0	Yes.
1:14.6	Full pardon.
1:15.9	Many of these 1,500 January 6 defendants have paid significant fines.
1:20.9	And more than $400,000 of those fines have gone towards repairing the damage to the capital.
1:26.4	And now that they've been pardoned, they want their money back. This is the indicator from Planet Money. I'm Vito
1:32.3	Emmanuel. And I'm Waylon Wong. On today's show, are pardoned January 6th defendants going to
1:37.9	get their money back? Answering that question involves over 200 years of pardon history,
1:43.4	one Confederate soldier, and a little-known pool of
1:46.1	money in the heart of the U.S. Treasury.
1:51.3	The pardon is a powerful tool that can't be undone, but there's a lot it doesn't do.
	...

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