The largest police union in the U.S. has slammed President Donald Trump for his pardoning of individuals “convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers.”
The Fraternal Order of Police issued the statement alongside the International Association of Chiefs of Police on Tuesday after, in one of his first acts as president on Monday, Donald Trump signed an executive order pardoning about 1,500 people for convictions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
On Tuesday, he argued that they had already spent enough time behind bars. But the IACP and FOP stated that they “firmly believe that those convicted of such crimes should serve their full sentences.”
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“Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety—they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law. Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families," the joint statement said.
In an apparent effort to appear even-handed, the statement said that the two organizations were “deeply discouraged by the recent pardons and commutations granted by both the Biden and Trump Administrations to individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers.” Shortly before leaving office, President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 death row prisoners, at least one of whom had killed a police officer.
While the statement did not go into specific pardons, however, its timing would suggest that it’s the mass pardoning of Jan. 6 suspects by Trump that is the real issue.
The statement continued: “When perpetrators of crimes, especially serious crimes, are not held fully accountable, it sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence.
“The IACP and FOP call on policymakers, judicial authorities, and community leaders to ensure that justice is upheld by enforcing full sentences, especially in cases involving violence against law enforcement. This approach reaffirms our commitment to the rule of law, public safety, and the protection of those who risk their lives for our communities.”
The IACP backed Donald Trump’s White House bids in 2016, 2020 and 2024. On the campaign trail, Trump had long promised to pardon Jan. 6. rioters, even calling them “patriots” and “hostages.” But Axios reports that Trump and his team weren’t sure right up until inauguration week whether to go ahead with the pardons, until the now president reportedly said “F--k it: Release ’em all,” an adviser close to the decision claimed.
Officer Michael Fanone, who was Tasered by D.J. Rodriguez during the riots, said upon hearing about the thousands of pardons: “I have been betrayed by my country.”
Rodriguez, who was arrested in March 2021, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison in June 2023. “Why does he deserve a pardon?” NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander asked Trump in a White House press conference Tuesday.
Initially, Trump had no answer instead going off-topic, falsely claiming that murderers in some cities “aren’t charged.”
Shifting back to those convicted for Jan. 6-related crimes like Rodriguez, Trump decreed: “These people have already served years in prison, and they have served them viciously. It’s a disgusting prison. It’s been horrible. It’s inhumane. It’s been a terrible, terrible thing.”
For his part, Joe Biden pardoned several potential targets of the incoming Trump administration just hours before the transfer of power on Monday.
Biden issued pre-emptive pardons for immunologist Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol—including former Rep. Liz Cheney. He also famously pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, after he was found guilty on federal gun charges in June and pleaded guilty to tax charges in September.
