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Trump pledges to free Jan. 6 'hostages' if elected

Trump has repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of crimes committed by some of his supporters during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump pledges to free Jan. 6 'hostages' if elected
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The 2024 presidential election is still months away, but former President Donald Trump is already shedding some light on what his first day in office would look like if he's elected.

The leading Republican candidate said Monday that one of his first acts as president would be to "free" protesters that have been charged or convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

"My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!" Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. 

This isn't the first time Trump has sympathized with the so-called "hostages" that were arrested for their roles on Jan. 6. He has previously hinted at pardoning many of his supporters who have been charged in connection to the violent clashes with Capitol law enforcement in an attempt to halt the certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory. 

SEE MORE: Will there be any trial against former President Trump this year?

According to the Department of Justice, more than 1,200 people have been charged with crimes for their actions on Jan. 6. That includes more than 450 individuals who have served time behind bars for their crimes. 

Meanwhile, the former president himself also faces federal charges out of Washington, D.C.,for his actions on Jan. 6, as well as a trial over his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. To this day, neither Trump nor his supporters have provided any credible evidence of widespread fraud at a scale that would change the results of the 2020 election, and multiple lawsuits — including those presided over by Republican-appointed judges — have concluded the same. 


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