Pardoned Jan. 6 rioters return to Capitol on 5th anniversary of insurrection

Geoff Bennett:

It has been five years since a mob of President Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to disrupt the certification of the presidential election that he lost.

Today, a much smaller, but ardent crowd of his supporters returned to the site of the 2021 insurrection, marking the first January 6 since then with Trump back in the White House and most of those involved now fully pardoned for their actions on that day.

White House correspondent Liz lander spent the day covering the demonstration marking this milestone.

Liz Landers:

Hundreds of people reenacted parts of a day that ended in violence and bloodshed...

Man:

Truth matters to this group!

Liz Landers:

... followed by the prosecution and then pardoning of more than 1,500 participants.

Officially, this was a memorial event for Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran shot dead while trying to enter through a broken window in the Capitol, and four others who were lost that day or in the weeks after, including a police officer.

Babbitt's mother, Micki Witthoeft, spoke to the crowd.

Micki Witthoeft, Mother of Ashli Babbitt: So glad that people are not losing sight of the importance of that day. It's a day Congress let us down and continues to let us down.

Liz Landers:

Just after 1:00 p.m. exactly five years after President Trump concluded his remarks at the Ellipse, telling protesters to fight like hell, the crowd set off for the Capitol.

Among those taking part in the day's events was Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges.

Would do you do January 6 over again? I know you weren't here in D.C. that day, but you were considered one of the masterminds of what happened. Would you do it again?

Enrique Tarrio, Former Proud Boys Leader:

I would. I would definitely do everything I did again, because I'm not guilty of that crime. Again, I'm sitting here pardoned. If I wanted -- if I told you, yes, I did it, I wouldn't face the repercussions. But I'd be lying to you. I'd be lying to you.

Liz Landers:

You were found guilty, though, by a jury of your peers, right?

Enrique Tarrio:

Well, they're not a jury of my peers. I mean, they had bias, right? They showed bias.

Liz Landers:

Outside the Capitol, they laid flowers for those who died.

Among those commemorating the day was Guy Reffitt and his wife, Nicole. Guy was a member of the militia the Texas 3 Percenters seen here in 2021 on the steps of the Capitol being sprayed by police officers. He was the first rider to go on trial, sentenced to more than 6.5 years in prison for civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, and entering a restricted building with a firearm.

President Donald Trump:

So this is January 6. These are the hostages, approximately 1,500, for a pardon, full pardon.

Liz Landers:

On the first day of his second term, President Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of everyone charged, whom he called hostages.

Guy Reffitt, Pardoned January 6 Rioter: I didn't really do anything worth what I got convicted of. That four-year sentence wasn't justifiable. So for going and standing on the steps of the Capitol Building and not going in the building, not breaking anything, not stealing anything...

Nicole Reffitt, Wife of Guy Reffitt: Not assaulting anyone.

Guy Reffitt:

Getting assaulted by police officers that at the top of the stairs 15 feet away and then leaving and going home. Was I trespassing? I didn't see any barriers. When I got there, there was over 100,000 people on the property. Those barriers were nowhere to be seen.

Liz Landers:

What happened on January 6 became a family affair. Reffitt's wife, Nicole, helped lead today's ceremony.

Nicole Reffitt:

Today is the day to honor those that died and to celebrate those Americans that stood up.

Liz Landers:

Guy's arrest and conviction has also caused rifts in his family, including with his son.

Jackson Reffitt, Son of Guy and Nicole Reffitt: It's destroyed my family in a bunch of different ways.

Liz Landers:

Jackson Reffitt tipped off the FBI about his father's actions and told me, while he doesn't regret that difficult decision:

Jackson Reffitt:

We're scattered and apart and it's been really hard to reconnect over these years.

Liz Landers:

Have you spoken with your father since he was released from prison?

Jackson Reffitt:

I have sent him birthday messages and happy Father's Day, but that's been about it. The only time I have really talked to him was when I called him in prison. And that was very brief. But even then, it's just been scary.

It's not -- I'm not worried that he's going to break down my door or strangle me through the phone. It's just a worry that things aren't ever going to get better at this rate.

Nicole Reffitt:

It's been quite a strain. But like Guy said, we have been able to stay strong and we're able to start rebuilding our relationship with our son. I'm waiting for him to be comfortable to come to holidays and things.

He was definitely -- we thought it was going to happen this year, but he had his nerves and everything about it. But it is a work in progress. I think a lot of families are, but there was a lot of love there. So I know it's going to end up OK.

Protester:

Ashli Babbitt!

Liz Landers:

For the Reffitts, today's event was a reminder that many remained sharply divided over the false belief that the 2020 election was stolen, the actions on January 6 and what came after.

Guy Reffitt:

I'm grateful to get out. But I think there's problems with the pardon, but there's also good things with the pardon.

Nicole Reffitt:

The problem with the pardon, though, is that there were bad actors there that day. Some people did really bad things. I don't think everyone should have received the pardon. And I believe there are still some people that are waiting on a pardon that deserve one.

Guy Reffitt:

Yes, we're at 12 or 14.

Jackson Reffitt:

It's the washing of everything. It's just completely validating all of these people. I mean, all of these people, they more or less fell for something, a con, if you want to use that word, I would, with no -- nothing in return, no reward.

But these people have been endlessly validated with a pardon. And that validation, they never really received before. Like, imagine the kind of action that a lot of these people might feel now that they have been pardoned.