Police express outrage over Trump’s January 6 pardons

When inmates are released from federal prison, the Department of Justice calls their victims and informs them that the defendant who attacked them is now free. On Tuesday, the phones of US Capitol Police and DC police officers were buzzing non-stop.

For Aquilino A. Gonell, a former Capitol police sergeant, the robocalls began Monday night and continued into Tuesday morning after President Trump issued a sweeping legal reprieve to all of the nearly 1,600 defendants, including those convicted of violent crimes, on January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Between 7.03 and 9.37 received Mr. Gonell nine calls from the Department of Justice about the release of inmates.

Mr. Gonell, who was assaulted during the attack and retired due to the injuries he sustained, was as outraged and distraught as he was shortly after the violence.

“It is a miscarriage of justice, a betrayal, a mockery and a desecration of the men and women who risked their lives defending our democracy,” he said of the nearly 1,600 pardons and 14 commutations.

More than 150 police officers from the two agencies were injured during the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob four years ago. Some were hit in the head with baseball bats, flagpoles and pipes. One lost consciousness after rioters used a metal barrier to push her down as they marched to the building.

Now, many of these officers described themselves as struggling and depressed in response to Mr. Trump freed their attackers.

In the days and weeks following the riot, several police officers died at the Capitol on January 6, including Officer Brian D. Sicknick of the Capitol Police, who was attacked by the mob, suffered a stroke and died of natural causes on January 6. 7. Officers Jeffrey Smith of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and Howard S. Liebengood of the Capitol Police died by suicide in the days following the violence.

Craig Sicknick, the older brother of Brian Sicknick, has dedicated an area of ​​his house to his brother, putting up a portrait and displaying pocket-sized military medallions known as challenge coins and other souvenirs on a table.

“I think about my brother almost every day,” said Mr. Sicknick. “He spent his life trying to do the right thing. He did it while he was in the military. He did it as a police officer. He did it in his personal life.”

The pardons, said Mr. Sicknick, leaving him devastated that there will be no accountability for those who stormed the Capitol.

“We almost lost democracy that day,” he said of January 6. “Today I honestly think we lost democracy.”

On Capitol Hill Tuesday, there was little condemnation of the pardons from Republican senators, even those who have spoken out against the violence. And those who spoke up often took the opportunity to denounce pardons issued by both former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Mr. Trump.

Senator John Thune, the South Dakota Republican and majority leader, dodged questions Tuesday about whether Mr. Trump did the right thing by pardoning the rioters.

“We look to the future, not the past,” said Mr. Thune, who called the pardons “the president’s decision.” He added: “We know that the presidential pardon authority was expanded in a massive way by President Biden, and of course we knew all along that President Trump can exercise it, as most presidents have, and he did.”

Still, some of the officers who fell victim that day vow to fight on.

“To anyone who cares about truth and respect for law and law enforcement, his pardons are an unspeakable outrage,” said Patrick A. Malone, a lawyer for seven officers who sued Mr. Trump for the attack.

“The officers I represent will not forget!” said mr. Malone.

Harry Dunn, one of the most outspoken officers to protect the Capitol on Jan. 6, spent Monday and Tuesday checking in with his former colleagues.

“Everyone is angry and sad and heartbroken,” said Mr. Dunn, who has left the Capitol Police.

An officer, said Mr. Dunn, went to bed after a long shift, only to be awakened by an automated voicemail from victim services informing him of the Jan. 6 release of a defendant.

“Every officer who testified in court is now getting these automated calls, ‘Hey this defendant is being released,”’ Mr. Dunn said. “The number of calls people are getting, it’s unbelievable.”

Mr. Dunn himself said he feels a mix of emotions, including frustration and resignation.

“It’s amazing to me that everyone is now surprised and up in arms about it,” he said, adding that Mr. Trump “said he was going to do it, and what I and the other officers did and spoke out made people realize what was coming.”

He added: “I get so many messages, ‘Harry, you’re a hero.’ I don’t want to be a hero. I want accountability.”

Carl Hulse contributed with reporting.