Just a Few Months After Trump Pardoned January 6th Rioters Who Attacked Capitol Police, Senior Officials Promise to Jail Those Who Attack Cops in LA Protests
- January 6th News
- Jun 11
- 3 min read
Just six months ago, Donald Trump pardoned everyone convicted of sedition, conspiracy, and assault on law enforcement during the January 6th Capitol riots. These defendants were convicted for their roles in the January 6th attack on the Capitol that resulted in the death of five Capitol Police officers and more than 140 law enforcement officers being injured.
The Trump Administration is taking a very different approach to protests in Los Angeles, where thousands have gathered to protest the use of ICE and hardline immigration crackdown.
Over the weekend, Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to downtown Los Angeles to respond to protests against his immigration crackdown. By Monday, he had escalated further, sending 700 Marines and then another 2,000 Guard troops, despite local law enforcement demonstrating that they had the situation under control.
On Saturday, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote a social media post stating, "Hit a cop, you're going to jail… doesn't matter where you came from, how you got here, or what movement speaks to you."
A day later, deputy FBI director Dan Bongino wrote, "If you choose violence tonight, this message is for you. We will be investigating and pursuing all available leads for assault on a federal officer, in addition to the many arrests already made."
Their comments stand in contrast to Trump’s decision to pardon all of the January 6th rioters, including those who attacked and severely injured 140 law enforcement officers.
Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor who handled some Jan. 6 criminal cases, pointed out the hypocrisy, "For Trump, the law applies to his enemies but not his friends. He calls protesters in Los Angeles 'insurrectionists' while praising those who attacked the Capitol on January 6 as 'patriots' and 'warriors.'"
Trump Bypasses Gov. Newsom and California’s State Rights to Deploy National Guard Against LA Protestors
Historically, Trump has been slow to deploy the National Guard to protests.
In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests, Trump said he would not deploy military resources without the governor’s approval.
“We have to go by the laws. We can't move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but there's no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case. We can't call in the National Guard unless we're requested by a governor,” Trump said.
In 2021, during the January 6th attack on the Capitol, Donald Trump never called in the National Guard. Despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Vice President Mike Pence, and the Capitol Police Chief all calling the Pentagon for help, Trump’s officials dragged their feet. It took hours to approve the request, then hours more before any troops actually showed up.
Later investigation revealed that the Administration delayed deploying the National Guard to control the January 6th Capitol riot because they were worried about the “optics” of sending troops against Trump supporters.
Trump now claims he ordered the National Guard deployed on January 6th but was turned down. However, Christopher Miller, who was Trump's acting Defense secretary at the time, testified under oath in 2022 that Trump never gave a formal order.
But in the case of the LA protests, Trump bypassed Governor Newsom and ordered an the National Guard to deploy to LA very quickly after they began.
The federal troops arrived with no coordination with local cops, creating a mess on the ground. Police commanders suddenly had to deal with federal forces who didn't know local procedures or command structures. Instead of helping, the disorganized deployment actually made it harder for local law enforcement to do their jobs.
LAPD chief Jim McDonnell said his department had not been formally notified. In a news release Monday, he wrote, “The possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles absent clear coordination presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city… the Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, have decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively.”
Governor Newsom has formally requested that Trump withdraw troops and return control of California to the Governor and local law enforcement. So far, Trump has declined, resulting in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration.
