Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pa. Democratic lawmakers criticize Trump’s Jan. 6 rioter pardons on anniversary of Capitol attack

Five years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Gov. Josh Shapiro and other Pennsylvania Democrats on Tuesday marked the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by sharply criticizing President Donald Trump.

Trump, who was impeached for inciting the riot in the final days of his first administration, pardoned nearly every Jan. 6 defendant and commuted sentences for a handful of violent offenders as one of his first actions upon returning to office last year.

“Law enforcement officers literally gave their lives to protect our country and our democracy — yet one of the first things Donald Trump did when he took office was pardon people who were convicted of assaulting police officers,” Shapiro said in a post on X Tuesday morning.

“The President may not respect our law enforcement officers’ courage and commitment to service — but here in Pennsylvania, we remember the sacrifices they make and will always have their backs.”

» READ MORE: President Donald Trump has pardoned nearly every Jan. 6 defendant, paving the way for some to be released from prison

Shapiro played a key role as state attorney general in defending the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania in the weeks leading up to the attack, which took place the same day that Congress was certifying former President Joe Biden’s victory.

His comments Tuesday came as he’s preparing to announce his reelection bid for governor. As Shapiro has built a national profile as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, he has repeatedly criticized Trump and presented himself as an alternative vision of leadership.

The president has continued to falsely claim he won Pennsylvania in 2020, including at his rally in Mount Pocono last month, even after he won the White House again in 2024.

Trump has downplayed the events of Jan. 6, and on Tuesday the White House unveiled a webpage dedicated to the events, falsely describing the riot as a peaceful protest and blaming Capitol Police for the violence that unfolded.

» READ MORE: How Donald Trump won Pennsylvania and the presidency

Shapiro was one of several Democrats who marked the anniversary of the attack for the first time since Trump returned to office.

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of Philadelphia, introduced a resolution alongside other House Democrats to designate Jan. 6 as the “Democracy Observance Day for Education, Remembrance, and Vigilance.”

And Pennsylvania Senate Democrats held an event in the state Capitol Tuesday.

State Sen. Art Haywood, who represents parts of Montgomery County and Philadelphia, described the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as an “attempted coup” orchestrated by Trump.

He recounted the events in minute-by-minute detail drawing from what has been reported about the day, from Trump’s direction to rally-goers to go to the Capitol to former Vice President Mike Pence’s evacuation from the Senate chambers and rioters’ success breaking into offices.

State Sen. Jay Costa, of Pittsburgh, said Tuesday’s anniversary event was aimed at drawing attention to the “lawlessness” of the day. Trump’s decision to pardon those involved, he said, was a “slap in the face” to law enforcement.

Scores of Pennsylvanians were charged with taking part in the Jan. 6 attack, some of whom were convicted of committing acts of violence at the Capitol. In addition to the sweeping pardons eliminating the criminal cases of more than 1,500 people, the president also commuted the sentences of 14 people — including Philadelphia native Zach Rehl, the leader of the local far-right Proud Boys chapter who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Costa contended that other incidents of political violence in the years that have followed could be traced back to Jan. 6.

“We cannot pick and choose, as our president has done, when we think about what we’re going to do and say about our law enforcement officers,” he said. “We need to stand with them all the time.”