United States | Will Donald Trump pardon those accused of the assault on the Capitol? The possible consequences of his campaign promise

During the campaign, Trump offered to grant presidential pardons to those involved in the attack, as he described the act as an attempt to defend his beliefs, despite the fact that it resulted in five deaths and multiple attacks on security agents.

To date, more than 1,500 people have been charged and 1,000 have already been sentenced for their participation in the assault. The penalties imposed vary depending on the severity of the crimes, including charges such as burglary, assault on law enforcement officers, and seditious conspiracy.

Some of the leaders of extremist groups who participated in the riots have received sentences of up to 22 years in prison.

Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right organization, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Stewart Rhodes, founder of the extremist group Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Richard Barnett, a participant in the attack and who took a photo with his feet on the desk in the office of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, was sentenced to four years.

According to ‘The Washington Post’, after the announcement of Trump’s victory, Some defendants asked the US justice system to postpone their trials and sentences hoping that the next attorney general under the new administration will drop the charges or promote clemency measures.

‘The Post’ mentions Christopher Carnell, 21, as one of the first to appear in court this Thursday, the 7th. His lawyers pointed to Trump’s “multiple promises of clemency,” especially for “non-violent participants” in the assault on the Capitol. However, The judge quickly dismissed his request..

Possible repercussions

When consulted by El Comercio, Francisco Belaunde, an international analyst, pointed out that granting these pardons could be a “disastrous” political message both inside and outside the United States: “It would be very bad as a political message, but it seems that Trump doesn’t care. In the end, He would be rewarding people who have committed crimes by breaking into the Capitol. However, he seems indifferent to those implications”, comments the expert.

Although the pardon is a presidential power, if granted, it could have effects on the political polarization of the country. The analyst explains that the most worrying thing is that it could encourage these incidents to be repeated, encouraging other people to do the same in the future. This contributes to polarization and the normalization of violence in politics.

“Although the US has had episodes of violence, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, massive attacks against an institution have not been seen before, and the risk of them happening again is real”he adds.

And although it would be an unprecedented scenario in the country, it is difficult for there to be any type of repercussion, beyond international concern.

“It certainly raises concerns, but in reality there wouldn’t be much consequence in terms of sanctions, since the US does not face the same external pressure as other countries. Although the US and Europe sanction other countries for attacks against democracy, who is going to sanction the United States? Nobody”concludes the analyst.