Justice Dept. Moves to Vacate Jan. 6 Convictions for Far-Right Extremists
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- The U.S. attorney’s office asked a federal appeals court to overturn the convictions of 12 Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, marking a step toward erasing their guilty verdicts.
- These defendants had their lengthy prison sentences commuted by former President Trump but were not granted full pardons like nearly 1,500 other rioters.
- The Justice Department’s request avoids defending the convictions, which would have required asserting that the groups acted on Trump’s behalf during the attack.
- Prosecutors previously characterized the Proud Boys as “Donald Trump’s army” and argued the Oath Keepers aimed to stop the lawful transfer of power to President Biden.
- The defendants and their supporters have criticized Trump for commuting their sentences without issuing full pardons, likely due to the political risks of fully pardoning far-right extremists convicted of sedition.
