A police officer who was beaten and repeatedly tasered in the January 6 insurrection says he's asked a court for protection after Donald Trump pardoned the rioters.

The returned president has ordered the immediate release of everyone jailed over the 2021 attack on the Capitol, including members of far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

Bodycam footage showed Michael Fanone being dragged into the crowd by a rioter, where he was restrained as others bashed and repeatedly Tasered him.

He later told a congressional committee he suffered a heart attack and traumatic brain injury. After he testified, he was threatened, he said.

"I didn't even make it through my entire testimony before I received the first threat," Mr Fanone told the ABC.

He said he feared the rioters who had attacked him, and were now being released, would come after him.

"There are no conditions of release," he said.

"These individuals are not prevented from making contact with me or members of my family, and I anticipate that they will.

"Not to mention the other hundreds of violent offenders released who see me as a spokesperson for accountability for those that committed crimes on January 6."

Mr Trump defended his decision at his first press conference as president.

"These people have already served years in prison and they've served them viciously," he said. "It's a disgusting prison, it's been horrible, it's inhumane."

The president's executive order gives full pardons to about 1,500 people involved in the attack, which was an attempt by Mr Trump's supporters to prevent the certification of Joe Biden as president.

About 14 other offenders had their sentences commuted, and all outstanding charges over the attack were dropped.

Craig Sicknick, whose police officer brother died of multiple strokes the day after he was attacked in the riot, called Mr Trump "pure evil".

"The man who killed my brother is now president," he told the Reuters news agency.

"My brother died in vain. Everything he did to try to protect the country, to protect the Capitol — why did he bother?"

Prison authorities said more than 200 of the inmates were freed on Tuesday, local time.

Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert joined a crowd of supporters outside a Washington prison as they waited for more to be released.

Ms Boebert said they should never have been jailed.

"I'll be the first member of Congress to offer them a guided tour of the Capitol," she said.

Mr Fanone said he felt betrayed.

"I was a police officer on January 6, 2021, I heard distress calls coming from my fellow officers, I responded to the Capitol, and as a result, was assaulted and badly injured," he said.

"And now the American people chose Donald Trump to be their president after he promised to pardon these individuals — these violent, vicious criminals who attacked cops for doing nothing more than their job."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-22/police-officers-attacked-january-6-pardon...

Armchair_Politician wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2025 at 10:54am:



And Joe pardoned his whole crime family.   

Bobby. wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2025 at 11:21am:


Joe didn't just pardon his family, he pardoned 1500 criminals and commuted death sentences of murderers.

Mortdooley wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2025 at 10:51pm:

What can we tell ya?

You're living in a political shithole.