Convicted US Capitol rioter Pam Hemphill turns down Trump pardon
Convicted US Capitol rioter Pam Hemphill turns down Trump pardon
Former "Maga granny" Pamela Hemphill tells the BBC the Trump government is trying to "rewrite history".
She may have been MAGA, but I admire her for having principles and being able to admit to being wrong.
I agree, but:
Pamela Hemphill, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in prison,
If her sentence was 10 years I wonder if she'd still be taking the moral stand.
Out of all the hairs to split here, I personally think this is one I’d let slide. Gotta take the little flashes of hope for the next two years, at least.
If her sentence was 10 years I wonder if she'd still be taking the moral stand.
I would recommend that instead of conditionally forgiving her (based on something we’ll never know), we should give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that yes she would.
Finally, a republican with some fucking integrity!
Why are they called "rioters" now?
They're insurrectionists
They're insurrectionists, traitors, fascists
Terrorists.
They're part of Trump's private army, the Seditious Shitheads, or "SS" for short.
Because these people are cash cows for the media so they want to treat them with kid gloves.
Because they're only insurrectionists if they fail...
I learned recently that Americans do in fact have the right to refuse a pardon.
I might be wrong here, but wouldn't it basically require you to confess the crime?It is not an admission of guilt.
I believe that's true, but that's not why she did it.
"Accepting a pardon would only insult the Capitol police officers, rule of law and, of course, our nation," she said.
"I pleaded guilty because I was guilty, and accepting a pardon also would serve to contribute to their gaslighting and false narrative."
There must always be a path to redemption, and it appears she has chosen to take it.
I recall a reporter arguing with Joe Arpaio after he was pardoned by Trump. Joe kept saying "I never admitted got" and the reporter repeated "by accepting a pardon, you admit guilt". It went nowhere
Not necessarily. You can plead guilty while still asserting innocence, for example the Alford plea. It means the defendant accepts the sentence, but remains adamant that what they did was okay according to their conscience.
In this case tho, the only alternative is to go free despite your wrongdoing, so it might be more of a "Fuck your pardon, orange twat" reaction.
Same. Imagine being her lawyer now, having to argue on her behalf in court that she is guilty and is entitled to prison time. That she has a right to that prison time and to a permanent criminal record.
I'm sure her lawyer is quite indifferent on what they argue as long as they're getting paid.
That's so wild that the people who tried to overthrow the election results are even capable of this much change so quickly.
Not really. One can look at other cults where people finally snap out of their trance once they've been separated from their leaders for a while. Not everyone does but many do.
It’s pretty inspiring, really. If there’s one thing the orange assface is right about, it’s that our prison system is horrendous. Now, I’m sure he doesn’t actually care since he’s above the law and will never see the inside of a cell, but I’m willing to bet at least of few of the insurrectionists (many of whom had relatively privileged backgrounds) took their guilty verdict and prison sentence very seriously. It’s probably the first time many of them were ever properly held responsible for their actions, which makes the pardons that much more egregious.
Not that it’s the same thing, but murderers have some of the lowest recidivism rates amongst convicted criminals, because people are first and foremost human, and when given the time most people are capable of understanding the impacts of their actions.
Our justice system does a pretty terrible job in general, but the Jan 6 cases were a rare example of the system working properly.
Also among those pardoned was one of the riot's most recognisable figures, Jacob Chansley, the self-styled QAnon Shaman, who was released from jail in 2023 after serving 27 months of his 41-month jail sentence.
He told the BBC that he heard the news from his lawyer while he was at the gym.
He added: "I walked outside and I screamed 'freedom' at the top of my lungs and then gave a good Native American war cry."
Excuse me what??? What the actual fuck, he was at the gym? These fuckers do not hear themselves and have no sense of irony or shame. Eta: unclear, meant he already has freedoms many don't and he certainly did not deserve