Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, was also slated for release. Tarrio, who had not been present at the Capitol on January 6 but was convicted of seditious conspiracy, had been serving a 22-year sentence, the longest given to any January 6 defendant.
Dominic Pezzola, another high-profile figure, was among those due to be freed. Pezzola had been accused of stealing a riot shield from a police officer and using it to smash a Capitol window, initiating the breach.
Attorney Norm Pattis, representing Rhodes and others, downplayed concerns that the clemency would fuel political violence. “Our politics has always been violent,” Pattis remarked. “Violence is the norm in this country.”
Mixed Reactions in Courtrooms
The pardons also caused abrupt disruptions in ongoing legal proceedings.
The trial of Kenneth Fuller and his son Caleb, who faced felony charges related to obstructing police, was dismissed on Tuesday.
Federal judges, some of whom were Trump appointees, expressed frustration over the blanket clemency. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols previously described the prospect of such pardons as “beyond frustrating.”
