Reparations For January 6 Criminals? Fuck No! GoFundMe or Force Trump or the Trump Party For Money!

Apr 20, 2025 07:40 PM EDT, Sun

Trump’s Justice Department backs reimbursements for some Jan. 6 criminals

Many Jan. 6 criminals paid restitution to help cover the costs of damages to the Capitol. The DOJ thinks some of them should be reimbursed.

April 10, 2025, 9:47 AM EDT By Steve Benen

Just when it seemed there was nothing more that Donald Trump could do for the people who launched the Jan. 6, 2023, attack in his name, the president broke new ground two weeks ago. During a Newsmax interview, the host asked about a possible “compensation fund” for Jan. 6 rioters who were held accountable for their crimes, and Trump talked about the idea as if it were under serious consideration.

“There’s talk about that,” the Republican said. “A lot of the people that are in the government now talk about it because a lot of the people in government really like that group of people.”

As we discussed soon after, Trump didn’t elaborate on the details, but taken at face value, he appeared to be describing what would effectively be financial rewards to be given to Jan. 6 criminals by the government.

In the days that followed, the White House didn’t shed any additional light on the idea, but as Politico reported, Trump’s Justice Department took a related position in a court filing this week.

Jan. 6 defendants whose convictions were wiped out by President Donald Trump are entitled to a refund of restitution payments they made to cover damage to the Capitol, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

The fact that many Jan. 6 rioters were identified, charged and convicted is well known. The fact that the president pardoned those who attacked the U.S. Capitol in his name is also well known. What much of the public might not know, however, is that Jan. 6 criminals also had to pay financial penalties as part of their prosecutions.

As a USA Today report explained, “Most defendants convicted for the Capitol insurrection were required to pay restitution to the Architect of the Capitol, who maintains the building and grounds, to help cover the costs of repairing the estimated $3 million in damage. Those convicted of felonies typically paid $2,000 and those convicted of misdemeanors typically paid $500.”

There’s still some question as to just how much money has been recovered, but CBS News last year concluded that the total was roughly $437,000 — a far cry from $3 million.

Five years later, however, the Trump administration apparently wants the money to start flowing in the opposite direction. From the Politico report:

The administration revealed its position in a filing to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is weighing one defendant’s request to be repaid the $500 in restitution he sent to the Architect of the Capitol after his conviction on misdemeanor charges. The defendant, Stacy Hager, argued in February that he should be reimbursed now that his conviction has been erased as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping grant of clemency to more than 1,500 people charged in the attack.

This week, Trump’s Justice Department responded to Hager’s argument and endorsed reimbursing her.

Though Ed Martin, the hyper-partisan acting U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., was not listed in the court filing, he has endorsed “reparations” for Jan. 6 rioters, arguing last year, “They should get a big pot of money.”

Martin, before Trump tapped him to lead the U.S. attorney’s office in the nation’s capital, was a “Stop the Steal” organizer who represented some Jan. 6 defendants.

Trump floats possibility of compensation for Jan. 6 rioters - POLITICO

By Seb Starcevic

03/25/2025 11:00 PM EDT

President Donald Trump on Tuesday floated the possibility of financial compensation for people who were prosecuted for taking part in the riot at the Capiol in 2021.

Speaking to Newsmax on Tuesday night, Trump said he had taken “care” of his supporters who attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss and added there is “talk” about compensating them.

“A lot of the people that are in the government now talk about it because a lot of the people in government really like that group of people,” he said, referring to the Jan. 6 defendants, who he described as protesting “peacefully and patriotically.”

Some of the freed Jan. 6 rioters and their advocates, such as Ed Martin, whom Trump appointed to be the top federal prosecutor in Washington, have long called for financial reparations for those who took part in the Capiol attack, many of whom subsequently spent time behind bars.

The president also described himself as a “big fan” of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a Capitol police officer as she attempted to climb through a shattered window into the Speaker’s Lobby.

“Ashli Babbitt was a really good person who was a big MAGA fan, Trump fan. And she was innocently standing there, they even say trying to sort of hold back the crowd,” Trump said. “And a man did something to her that was unthinkable when he shot her.”

Asked whether he would take action against the officer who killed Babbitt and is still employed in Capitol law enforcement, Trump said he would “take a look at it.” U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd was investigated by the Justice Department for the shooting and cleared of any wrongdoing.

Trump’s blanket pardon for his supporters fulfilled one of his key campaign pledges, though he had previously stopped short of promising monetary compensation. The president signed an order on his first day in office granting clemency to about 1,500 rioters who were prosecuted for taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capiol, including hundreds convicted of assaulting police, carrying firearms and destroying property.

Donald Trump Discusses ‘Compensation Fund’ for Jan. 6 Rioters - Newsweek

Published Mar 26, 2025 at 6:29 AM EDT
Updated Mar 26, 2025 at 9:13 PM EDT

Donald Trump has voiced support for providing financial assistance to individuals convicted or charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot.

Why It Matters

On the first day he took office in January, Trump pardoned almost every individual convicted of crimes related to the deadly January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capiol and commuted the sentences of the remaining 14. Some of those Trump pardoned or granted clemency to are facing separate charges ranging from sexual abuse to domestic violence..

Trump’s blanket pardon for the January 6 rioters fulfilled a key campaign pledge, although he had previously not committed to offering monetary compensation.

The January 6, 2021 attack caused millions of dollars of damage at the U.S. Capiol and about 140 police officers were injured.

What To Know

In an interview with Newsmax on Tuesday night, Trump suggested that the January 6 rioters he pardoned could get compensation payments.

During the interview, he referred to the January 6 rioters as “patriots” and claimed they were “treated very unfairly” by the government.

He added that those at the Capiol were there “peacefully and patriotically” and said “a lot of the people that are in the government now talk about” compensating them “because a lot of the people in government really like that group of people.” Trump also paid tribute to Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a police officer as she attempted to climb through a broken window into the Speaker’s Lobby during the January 6, 2021 riot.

“Ashli Babbitt was a really good person who was a big MAGA fan, Trump fan, and she was innocently standing there,” he said. “And a man did something to her that was unthinkable when he shot her.”

When Newsmax’s Greg Kelly asked whether he would take action against Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd, who was cleared of wrongdoing in Babbitt’s shooting, Trump replied, “I’m going to take a look at it.”

Some of the freed January 6 rioters, attack on the Capiol and their advocates have long called for financial reparations for those who took part in the Capitol attack. But Trump had previously stopped short of supporting financial compensation as an option.

The Justice Department and Capiol administrators previously estimated that the costs of cleanup and repairs following the January 6 riots totals nearly $3 million. However, a February 2023 review by the Government Accountability Office estimated actual costs of nearly $2.7 billion.

“This amount reflects, among other things, damage to the Capitol building and grounds, estimated costs borne by the Capitol Police, the District of Columbia, and federal agencies, and estimated costs to address security needs and investigations as described in budget and funding requests, appropriations, agency estimates, and other publicly available information,” the agency’s report said.

Federal judges had previously ordered hundreds of the defendants to make restitution to the federal government to offset the costs of the repairs at the U.S. Capiol, but only 15 percent was paid before Trump issued blanket pardons on January 20, hours after his inauguration.

As a result, taxpayers are now expected to be on the hook for most of the damage, cleanup and costs of the insurrection.

Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight Committee launched a review on Monday to determine how much of the millions of dollars in damages from the January 6 riot remain unpaid by the rioters.

In a letter to Architect of the Capiol Thomas Austin, Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA11), the committee’s top Democrat, requested updated estimates on how much of the costs are being covered by federal taxpayers.

“Restitution was one of the most common sentences handed down to January 6th insurrectionists, but offenders were slow to repay their obligations, and taxpayers were far from being made whole,” [https://connolly.house.gov/) wrote. He also stressed that the official damage cost figures from the Architect of the Capiol remain unknown and must be released.

What People Are Saying

Donald Trump said during a Newsmax interview: “A lot of people in government really like that group of people. They were patriots as far as I was concerned, I talk about them a lot. They were treated very unfairly, you know?”

What Happens Next

It is still unclear if the January 6 rioters will be provided with financial compensation. The president has not laid out any plan for this.

Federal Agency	Functions
Department of Justice (DOJ)	The Department of Justice (DOJ) enforces federal laws, seeks just punishment for the guilty, and ensures the fair and impartial administration of justice.
U.S. Capitol Police	U.S. Capitol Police Officers work to protect life and property, investigate criminal acts, and enforce traffic regulations on U.S. Capitol Grounds. Officers are also responsible for protecting members, officers of Congress, and their families.
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center	Take a tour of the historic Capitol, where you can see the Crypt of the Capitol, the Rotunda, and National Statuary Hall.