A man who served time for his role in the January 6th Capitol riot has come forward to reject his pardon issued by President Donald Trump, whom he says he no longer supports since entering recovery from alcoholism.
Jason Riddle was convicted of stealing a bottle of wine and a book on Senate procedure during the 2021 attack and served 90 days in jail. Since his conviction, Riddle has embraced sobriety, and described how it’s changed his perception of Trump in an interview with New Hampshire Public Radio.
Following Riddle’s release from prison, Trump responded to his own indictment with a call for his supporters to protest. “I remember thinking, ‘What are you doing, Trump? Remember what happened at the riot? Someone might get hurt,'” Riddles recalled. “That’s when I had the epiphany, the duh moment, where I’m like, ‘He asked this because he doesn’t care about anybody other than himself.'”
Riddle, who learned of his pardon while at the gym with his husband, told NHPR’s Morning Edition that he was initially drawn to Trump rallies as a form of escapism, combining his political fervor with his struggles as a then-active alcoholic. When he entered the Capitol building, he said it felt like a “jubilant celebration,” but now he views the event with more literal and figurative sobriety.
He rejected Trump’s pardon, believing that accepting it would downplay the seriousness of his actions. “It’s almost like he was trying to say it didn’t happen. And it happened. I did those things, and they weren’t pardonable,” Riddle stated.
He also expressed concern about how a presidential pardon could affect his future job prospects, fearing it would align him with the MAGA movement indefinitely.
Riddle, a Navy veteran, also voiced empathy for the Capitol Police officers affected by the attack, especially those who died by suicide in its aftermath. “I just can’t imagine—it’s got to be real hard for anyone working in that department with him coming back into office and now pardoning 1,500 people who assaulted their brothers and sisters on that day,” he said.
Originally published by Latin Times.
