Carl Nichols, a federal judge who was nominated by Donald Trump, says it would be “beyond frustrating and disappointing” if the president-elect hands out mass pardons to rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol after the 2020 election. Nichols, who was appointed in 2019, expressed his criticism during a hearing at which he agreed to postpone a Capitol riot defendant’s trial until after Trump returns to the White House in January, reports the Associated Press. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly referred to Jan. 6 rioters as “hostages” and “patriots” and said he “absolutely” would pardon rioters who assaulted police “if they’re innocent.” Trump suggested he would consider pardoning former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison after a jury convicted him of orchestrating a violent plot to keep Trump in power after the election.
Nichols is among 20 judges who have presided over more than 1,500 cases against people charged in a mob’s attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Many Capitol riot defendants have asked for post-election delays in their cases, but judges largely have denied their requests and gone ahead with sentencings, guilty pleas and other hearings. Steve Baker, a writer for a conservative media outlet, pleaded guilty last week to Capitol riot-related misdemeanors after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper refused to pause the case until after Trump takes office. Cooper acknowledged that the case may never reach the punishment stage given the possibility of pardons. Nichols commented on pardons during a hearing for Jacob Lang, a Capitol riot defendant who is jailed while awaiting a trial. Within hours of Trump’s victory this month, Lang posted on social media that he and other Jan. 6 “political prisoners” were “finally coming home.”
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