Democrats Terrified as Pardoned J6 Defendants Appear at Capitol

A number of individuals involved in the events of January 6, 2021, have recently returned to the nation’s capital—an unwelcome development for some lawmakers.

According to a report from Roll Call, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was spotted inside the Longworth House Office Building at a fast-food restaurant.

Meanwhile, former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was taken into custody on Capitol grounds in February while addressing a press conference. His arrest followed a confrontation with a counter-protester.

As The New York Times noted, several of Tarrio’s co-defendants from his seditious conspiracy case—Dominic Pezzola, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Ethan Nordean—were also in attendance at the press event. Additionally, Jake Lang and Richard Barnett, both of whom were in Washington that same weekend for CPAC, made appearances.

Their presence did not sit well with certain members of Congress.

New York Democratic Rep. Joseph D. Morelle remarked that their return “says volumes about what they intend to do.”

“They want people to know who they are. They want to frighten people,” he added.

California Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar expressed frustration, viewing their return as an attention-seeking move.

“They want to be here, they want the spotlight and the attention,” he complained, further asserting that President Donald Trump “has given them that.”

In response, California Democratic Rep. Norma J. Torres suggested legal action should be considered to prevent their presence in the city.

“I think that we should be very aggressive and assertive at seeking injunctions against them,” she stated.

Similarly, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois called for bipartisan cooperation to deter their return.

“Democrats and Republicans have to stand up for the men and women who are risking their lives to keep us safe every day and to say to these people who were pardoned by President Trump: Please take your press conferences someplace else. We don’t want them here in this Capitol,” Durbin remarked.

Ironically, he also stated, “This has got to come to an end.”

Yet, for Durbin and his Democratic colleagues, the conversation about January 6 appears far from over.

The political and media attention surrounding the events of that day has led to interviews, documentaries, and historical comparisons to tragedies like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.

What they truly seem to want to put an end to is the prospect of facing those who were part of that moment in history.

Undeniably, some individuals engaged in criminal acts on January 6. Lang was accused of assaulting a police officer, while Barnett entered the Capitol carrying an electric cattle prod.

However, Tarrio himself was nowhere near Washington, D.C., on that day, yet he was handed a 22-year prison sentence.

For lawmakers like Durbin, Torres, Aguilar, and Morelle, the real concern may not be the individuals themselves—but rather the reality of encountering someone their party has politically targeted for supporting Trump.