President Donald Trump has taken the nation by surprise with a plan to establish a compensation fund for January 6 protesters.
After already pardoning nearly 1,500 defendants on his first day back in office, the president is now exploring financial restitution for “patriots” who faced prosecution simply for exercising their constitutional rights.
He also directed the attorney general to dismiss about 450 pending criminal cases against protesters.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons then released over 200 people who had been in custody for January 6-related charges.
During a recent interview, President Trump explained his reasoning behind the potential compensation plan.
“There’s talk about that,” he confirmed when asked about financial restitution.
He emphasized that many in his administration support the idea, noting that these individuals were “treated very unfairly” by the previous administration’s political prosecution.
The president has consistently defended the January 6 protesters, describing them as “patriots” who were at the Capitol “peacefully and patriotically.”
“A lot of people in government really like that group of people. They were patriots as far as I was concerned, I talk about them a lot. They were treated very unfairly, you know?” President Trump said.
The president’s pardons and potential compensation plan represent a complete turnaround of the previous administration’s approach.
President Trump also paid special tribute to Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran who was fatally shot during the Capitol protest.
He has indicated he might review the actions of the officer responsible for her death.
“Ashli Babbitt was a really good person who was a big MAGA fan, Trump fan, and she was innocently standing there. And a man did something to her that was unthinkable when he shot her,” the president stated.
Predictably, Democrats are outraged by President Trump’s actions.
Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) demanded, “We should vote on this. They should demand a vote on this.”
Meanwhile, former Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone claimed, “The rule of law is dead in this country. We are now in the age of government lawlessness.”
The compensation fund would acknowledge the financial and personal devastation many January 6 defendants experienced.
Many lost jobs, homes, and savings while fighting what many argue were politically motivated charges.
Some were held in pretrial detention for months or years under harsh conditions that many conservatives viewed as treatment reserved for political prisoners.
“A lot of the people that are in the government now talk about it because a lot of the people in government really like that group of people,” President Donald Trump remarked.
While no specific details about the compensation fund have been released, the president remains committed to helping those he believes were unjustly targeted.
