In his first interview since his release from prison, Enrique Tarrio thanked Donald Trump for pardoning him for his role in planning the January 6 riot, saying he was “literally my It gave me my life back.”
Now that he’s out, the Proud Boys leader wants revenge, he told Information Warfare conspiracy theorist host Alex Jones.
“The people who did this, they need to feel the heat, they need to be put behind bars, they need to be prosecuted,” Tarrio said.
“Success will be retribution,” he added. “We must do everything in our power to make sure that the next four years set us up for the next 100 years.”
Days after the leaders of far-right militia groups were released from prison, they and their organizations are regrouping and thinking about how to regain momentum now that Trump is in office. They are emboldened by a large-scale amnesty for insurrectionists and are planning their next move.
Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes appeared at the U.S. Capitol this week and dined at Dunkin’ inside the Longworth House office building. The Associated Press reported that Rhodes “met with at least one lawmaker and chatted with others during his visit.”
He gave an interview outside a D.C. jail where he said he wanted prosecutors to be brought to justice for their “crimes.” Rhodes was not pardoned – his sentence was commuted and he was released early. He wants a full pardon.
Rhodes suggested that January 6th should be remembered in history as “Patriot Day.” He has expressed no remorse for his role in the riot. He said his members were locked up and their reaction to police was understandable. “We were there to protect Trump supporters from Antifa,” he said in a post-release video.
When Rhodes was sentenced in 2023, the judge in his case said: The moment you are released, whenever that may be, you are ready to take up arms against your government. ”
Tarrio and Rhodes had been sentenced to 22 years and 18 years each on January 6, the longest sentence ever given to a defendant. Both were charged with seditious conspiracy for their roles in helping plan the attack. Members of both the Proud Boys and the sworn men invaded the Capitol on January 6, some of whom engaged in violence. Oath Keepers said the Proud Boys were “a central figure in maneuvering the Jan. 6 attack on Congress,” which was “plotted for months to violently disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.” played a role,” a government lawyer said in the case against the group members.
At the time of Tarrio’s sentencing, federal prosecutors said: “No organization put their boots on the ground at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, than the Proud Boys in their efforts on the ground to storm the seat of government.”
The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism has been tracking the Proud Boys channel online since Trump’s pardon, and found that the group was “acting as an ice under Trump’s second term to support Trump’s mass deportation plan.” fantasized about being in the country and encouraged members to report those who are in the country illegally.
Tarrio, who is often referred to in the media as the “former” or “former” leader of the Proud Boys, recently said that characterizing him as a former member is not accurate.
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“We decided four years ago not to tell the media what our structure is, but I suggest that the media should stop calling me a feisty boy leader.” he told CBS News.
A procession of proud boys marches in Washington on Inauguration Day, carrying a banner celebrating Trump’s victory, a visible expression of the welcome the far right is receiving from the new administration. They returned to the national stage chanting “Fuck Joe Biden” and “Fuck Antifa” and calling on Trump to “free our boys.”
The rewriting of January 6th – and attempts to seek revenge on those involved in investigating and prosecuting it in the first place – will continue during Trump’s second term. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that a new select subcommittee will be created to investigate “all events leading up to January 6th” to “uncover the full truth we owe the American people.” announced that it would be done.
The webpage previously placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for the January 6 attack has been redirected to the main FBI page. Trump directed the Justice Department to discontinue ongoing cases related to the riot.
The police officers who were at the Capitol on January 6th will receive immunity from prison or commuting for everyone involved in the Capitol attack, especially those convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers. I opposed Trump’s decision to do so. Some of the officers, including those who testified in the January 6 incident, say they fear for their safety now that the insurrectionists have been released.
Michael Fanne, the retired officer who was beaten on January 6, had a more candid message for Rhodes in a live CNN interview.
