A clash has erupted over the clemency President Trump granted to his supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, as a Trump-appointed prosecutor railed against a court order prohibiting Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and other members of the far-right group from visiting Washington, D.C. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta barred Rhodes and other Oath Keepers who were convicted of felony offenses from entering Washington without court permission. Earlier in the week, Rhodes was released from prison after Trump commuted his 18-year sentence for seditious conspiracy and other offenses stemming from the Jan. 6 attack. He later visited congressional offices, sporting a Trump 2020 hat, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The Trump-appointed acting U.S. Attorney in Washington, Edward Martin, criticized the judge’s order as defying the clemency Trump granted on his first day back in the White House. The Oath Keepers have had their sentences commuted—period, end of sentence,” Martin said, mentioning former President Biden's pre-emptive pardons of brother James Biden and Gen. Mark Milley. “If a judge decided that Jim Biden, General Mark Milley, or another individual were forbidden to visit America’s capital—even after receiving a last-minute, pre-emptive pardon from the former President—I believe most Americans would object,” said Martin. Rhodes was among 14 defendants convicted of serious crimes who saw their sentences commuted by Trump. The rest of the more than 1,500 defendants charged in connection with Jan. 6 received full pardons. His visit to Capitol Hill jarred some lawmakers and drew rebukes from Democrats.