Former Proud Boys Leader Seeks Trump Pardon for Jan. 6 Role

Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the Proud Boys serving a 22-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, has requested a presidential pardon from former President Donald Trump. Tarrio’s lawyer, Nayib Hassan, sent a letter to Trump on the fourth anniversary of the attack, seeking a “full and complete Presidential Pardon.”

Tarrio, 42, was convicted in May 2023 for his role in planning and organizing the Proud Boys’ assault on the Capitol. Despite not being present in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, Tarrio received the longest sentence to date among those charged in connection with the riot. His lawyer argued that Tarrio was unfairly portrayed as a “right-wing extremist” and emphasized his client’s belief in “true conservative values.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland described Tarrio and his associates as key figures in leading the mob that breached the Capitol. During the trial, Hassan blamed Trump for inciting the violence, citing the former president’s call for supporters to “fight like hell” during a rally preceding the attack. Hassan also claimed that Trump’s mention of the Proud Boys during a 2020 presidential debate brought the group undue attention, making it difficult to vet new members.

Tarrio was arrested days before Jan. 6 for burning a Black Lives Matter banner and was ordered to stay away from Washington, D.C. A top intelligence official in the D.C. Police Department was accused of leaking information to Tarrio about an arrest warrant, prompting him to watch the Capitol attack unfold from a hotel in Baltimore.

More than 1,580 individuals have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, with over 1,000 convictions secured. Trump has vowed to pardon some rioters if re-elected but has not specified which defendants would be eligible. His transition team did not respond to requests for comment on Tarrio’s pardon request.