"Trump's Pardons Bring Relief and Revenge, but Few Signs of Repentance for Jan. 6 Offenders"

 Few signs of remorse were evident among the Capitol riot defendants who were pardoned during the president's first days back in office.

Jan. 23, 2025, 6:56 AM GMT+6

WASHINGTON — Gina Bisignano’s strategy finally paid off. For years, the Jan. 6 defendant worked tirelessly to delay her criminal case linked to her actions during the Capitol riot, hoping that Donald Trump would be re-elected and grant her a pardon.

On Monday, just two days shy of her 56th birthday, Bisignano received a new reason to celebrate: Trump issued pardons that wiped out the case against her. A federal judge formally dismissed the charges on Tuesday, and by Wednesday, Bisignano was a free woman.

“I have no regrets,” Bisignano said, adding she wouldn’t change a thing, even for “a million dollars.”

NBC News spoke with several Jan. 6 offenders who also received pardons from Trump, and while many expressed gratitude for the relief, regret was notably absent. A few did express remorse, but many maintained the false and debunked belief that the 2020 election was stolen—a claim Trump had reiterated only days earlier while in the Capitol. Some of those pardoned spoke of healing, but others hinted at future reckoning.

Bisignano, who was positioned in the lower west tunnel of the Capitol, one of the areas with the most violent clashes, said she felt divinely placed there. She had grabbed a megaphone and urged fellow Trump supporters to join the fray.

Initially, she cooperated with authorities, even testifying against a fellow Trump supporter from California. But her testimony was criticized by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who described her as “a hot mess” and “possibly one of the worst witnesses” she’d encountered. Now, Bisignano believes she has “prevailed” and emerged “stronger.” “The hunters have become the hunted,” she declared, predicting that federal prosecutors involved in her case would be fired and calling for Jackson’s impeachment. “She’s on the wrong side of history,” Bisignano said, adding she’d like to have a conversation with the judge.

Bisignano wasn’t the only one celebrating. Outside the D.C. jail, supporters rushed to buy MAGA hats from a vendor to distribute to newly-released prisoners. Among the crowd was Eric Ball, whose son Daniel faces charges for detonating an explosive device in the lower west Capitol tunnel. Ball insisted the riot was a setup. “Anyone who denies it is either incredibly evil or irredeemably stupid,” he said.

Daniel Ball is one of the few Jan. 6 rioters still in custody. He was rearrested on gun charges following his initial release, stemming from past convictions for domestic violence and battery against a law enforcement officer.

Gregory Purdy, convicted of six felonies, including assaulting police officers, continued to believe the 2020 election was rigged. “Even if we have a difference of opinion, I believe the people there were defending democracy,” Purdy said after his release from jail. “I believe that we had an election with major computational issues.”

Caleb Fuller, facing felony charges for resisting police on Jan. 6, also stood by the idea that the election was stolen, claiming he didn’t see any violence during the riot.

Ryan Wilson, convicted of six felonies after being shown using a pipe to assault police officers, dismissed the charges against him as “phony” upon his release.

Rachel Powell, sentenced to five years in prison (of which she served just over a year) for her role in the Capitol attack, said she wished the situation had been handled differently. “When the police became violent and everything got out of control, I wish we would’ve all just sat down,” Powell said when asked what she would change if she could go back in time.

Gabriel Garcia, another pardoned individual, took a different approach when recalling a past interview in which he expressed regret for attending the Capitol riot and distanced himself from the Proud Boys. Now, Garcia said he had never cut ties with the group and took back his previous remorse. “No, I didn’t mean it,” he stated.

Some took a more ominous tone after their release. William Sarsfield, convicted for his violent actions in the Capitol, said after his release he would focus on “finding out the nefarious actors in local homes and towns” to “take care of our own house.”

Jacob Chansley, known as the "QAnon Shaman," posted on X that he planned to buy guns after receiving his pardon and having his gun rights reinstated. “EVERYTHING done in the dark WILL come to light!” he added.

However, not all of the pardoned individuals took an adversarial stance. Gregory Purdy, despite his firm belief in a rigged election, urged for unity. “We’re still brothers and sisters, we’ve still got to love each other,” he said. “So to my liberal brothers and sisters, I reach my arm across and say, let’s find common ground.”

Guy Reffitt, whose son had turned him in for his involvement on Jan. 6, expressed love for his son upon his release. His son, Jackson, however, told MSNBC earlier that he felt unsafe now that his father had been freed, revealing he had purchased a gun for protection.

For many of the pardoned individuals, Trump was a hero. “Thank you, ‘cause he’s put my family back together again. Without him, I wouldn’t be out right now,” said Rachel Powell.

Inside the D.C. jail, some inmates had been following Trump’s statements about pardoning Jan. 6 offenders. He had alluded to it during his inaugural address, telling a crowd of supporters in the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, “You’re going to see a lot of action on the J6 hostages.”

Stewart Rhodes, former leader of the Oath Keepers militia and convicted of seditious conspiracy, had his 18-year sentence commuted by Trump. After his release, Rhodes thanked Trump for doing the “right thing” and claimed he and others had not received a “fair trial” or a “fair jury.” Despite the multiple Jan. 6 convictions upheld by federal courts, Rhodes maintained his stance.

On Wednesday, reporters spotted Rhodes inside one of the House of Representatives' office buildings, where he said he was advocating for the release of fellow Oath Keeper Jeremy Brown, who is still imprisoned on unrelated charges.