Lawfare Daily: The Jan. 6 Pardonee Crime Wave with Katherine Pompilio
The Lawfare Podcast
The Lawfare Institute
4.7 • 6.4K Ratings
🗓️ 5 June 2026
⏱️ 40 minutes
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Summary
In a new report for Lawfare, Associate Editor Katherine Pompilio finds that 97 of the more than 1,500 individuals granted clemency by President Trump for their roles in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack have been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of crimes separate from Jan. 6 since their participation in the Jan. 6 riot.
On today’s episode, Pompilio joins Lawfare Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes to discuss the new report, the types of crimes these 97 individuals have been charged with, the power (and consequences) of the presidential pardon, and more.
Please note that this episode contains content that some people may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So there are 28 people on this list that have been charged with or have committed or allegedly committed gun crimes. |
| 0:08.8 | The vast majority of these people in this section, illegal guns or allegedly illegal guns were found in their homes after the FBI conducted a search warrant of their homes in connection with their then suspected |
| 0:23.4 | participation in the January 6th riots. |
| 0:26.4 | It's the Lawfare podcast. I'm Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of Lawfare with Lawfare |
| 0:32.4 | Associate editor, Catherine Pompilio. |
| 0:36.2 | That is criminal misconduct, in my opinion. |
| 0:40.0 | And simply because the Trump Justice Department had decided that they wanted to pardon him for this |
| 0:46.3 | because they felt that it was covered by the Jan 6 pardons, doesn't mean that the crime did not happen. |
| 0:52.9 | We're talking January 6th recidivism today. |
| 0:57.4 | The numbers are not just bigger than you think. |
| 1:00.0 | They're way bigger than you think. |
| 1:02.0 | And Catherine has the receipts. |
| 1:06.1 | In a lengthy story on lawfare, accompanied by an incredible infographic. Catherine has documented |
| 1:13.9 | 97 separate cases in which people covered by Trump's January 6th clemency action have committed |
| 1:23.6 | other crimes unrelated to January 6th since the riot. |
| 1:29.6 | So, Catherine, I want to start with the question of how you got on to this. |
| 1:37.2 | How did you look at a crew report that had 33 J-6ers who were, you know, had broken bad after J-6 again and say, |
| 1:51.0 | I bet they're undercounting this. |
| 1:54.6 | I'll start by saying that I have been working on January 6th related matters for |
| 2:00.4 | lawfare since I started at law fair, |
| 2:03.6 | so that's 2022. So I have been paying attention to these people and what has happened to these people |
| 2:10.3 | since they participated in the riot, since they were charged, prosecuted, convicted, and the pardoned, |
... |
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