With Trump Pardons, The Jan. 6 Coup Attempt Is Finally Complete

May Be Interested In:Two Jan. 6 Boosters Are Now Trump Appointees Strangling USAID From The Inside


A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

A Dark Day

In one of his first acts of his second term, Donald Trump granted sweeping pardons to nearly all of the convicted Jan. 6 rioters and instigators and commuted the sentences of 14 of those serving the longest sentences, including on the most serious charge: seditious conspiracy.

Trump also ordered the Justice Department to end pending prosecutions of Jan. 6 defendants, an extraordinary and unprecedented interference with the department’s independence, and a foreshadowing of DOJ being run from the White House.

Among those freed were former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers honcho Stewart Rhodes. Overnight, Rhodes was seen leaving prison:

The acts of clemency from Trump brought full circle the conspiracy to subvert the 2020 election and hold on to power regardless of the election results. The spasm of violence on Jan. 6, 2021, was a neither a beginning nor an end but rather an inflection point in Trump’s fantastical, long-running Big Lie.

The pardons and commutations reinvigorate a slew of paramilitary right-wing extremist groups and other long-marginalized figures who see Trump as the their de facto leader and inspiration. Proud Boys returned to DC on Inauguration Day and were seen marching in the streets before the pardons were issued.

The Weaponization Begins

Under the guise of “ending the weaponization of the federal government,” President Trump by executive order has created a mechanism for weaponizing the intelligence community and the Justice Department – and it runs through Stephen Miller.

The Destruction Begins

  • “The Pentagon on Monday removed a portrait of Gen. Mark A. Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from a corridor of the building filled with paintings of all of his predecessors.”–NYT
  • “President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday revoking the security clearance of 51 former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter arguing that emails from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden carried ‘all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation’ and that of his former national security adviser John Bolton.”–CNN
  • “Trump administration quickly removes top immigration court officials.”–WaPo

Trump’s Executive Order Flex

A reminder that the executive orders are a combination of substantive and basically glorified press releases. Deborah Pearlstein offers a primer on how to tell the difference. Among the notable ones:

  • “President Trump on Monday signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the pact among almost all nations to fight climate change.”–NYT
  • “President Donald Trump has ordered the federal government to stop all permits for wind energy projects.”–Heatmap
  • “President Trump declared on Monday that his government would no longer treat the U.S.-born children of undocumented people as citizens, signaling his intent to essentially ignore the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship in a move that is all but certain to invite a legal challenge.”–NYT
  • Adopting some of the most strident anti-immigration language, Trump declares that “an invasion is ongoing at the southern border.”

Trump II Clown Show

  • Politico: How Musk helped boot Ramaswamy from DOGE
  • Longtime Missouri Republican Ed Martin, an advocate for the Jan. 6 rioters, has been named interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.
  • A rundown from the Trump White House of the new chairs and acting chairs of various agencies, commissions, and boards.

Oligarch Watch

The images speak for themselves, but a couple of additional notes: The big tech executives had a more prominent position for Trump’s swearing-in than some of his cabinet nominees, and unlike members of Congress they could bring their spouses.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Meta and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Google Sundar Pichai, CEO of Apple Tim Cook, Founder of Amazon and Blue Origin Jeff Bezos attend services as part of Inauguration ceremonies at St. John’s Church on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Guests including Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images)

Image Of The Day

TOPSHOT – Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

The news service caption above leaves a lot to be desired: “gestures.” TPM’s Josh Marshall on Elon Mush going full Sieg Heil.

Senate Starts Moving Trump Nominees

  • On a 99-0 vote, the Senate confirmed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as secretary of state.
  • On a 14-13 vote, the Senate Armed Service Committee advanced the nomination of Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense.
  • On a 13-2 vote, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the nomination of Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) as DHS secretary.
  • On a 14-3 vote, the Senate Intelligence Committee advanced the nomination of John Ratcliffe as CIA director.
  • On a 8-7 vote, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee cleared the nomination of Russell Vought as OMB director.

Vibe Check: Forced, Insipid, And Credulous

Forced:

Biden to Trump: “Welcome home”

[image or embed]

— Nikki McCann Ramírez (@nikkimcr.bsky.social) January 20, 2025 at 9:59 AM

Insipid:

It is time to look to the future.The challenges that face America are many and great.The Senate must respond with resolve, bipartisanship, and fidelity to the working and middle class of this country.

— Chuck Schumer (@schumer.senate.gov) January 20, 2025 at 6:53 PM

Credulous:

Kumbaya

The contrast between how liberals see Democratic opposition to Trump as feckless and how MAGA Republicans portray Democrats as all-powerful traitorous conspirators always carries some cognitive dissonance but rarely as much as yesterday:

Marjorie Taylor Greene: “These people would line us up in front of a firing squad & kill us if they could. We know exactly who the Democrats are … Democrats, until you start writing big checks to Republicans & start voting Republican … then we can start talking about unity.”

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 20, 2025 at 2:11 PM

Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know!




share Share facebook pinterest whatsapp x print

Similar Content

New Episode Of The Josh Marshall Podcast: Poking The Third Rail
New Episode Of The Josh Marshall Podcast: Poking The Third Rail
Dem Incumbent Riggs: GOP Opponent’s ‘Mass Disenfranchisement’ Efforts Belong In Fed Court
Dem Incumbent Riggs: GOP Opponent’s ‘Mass Disenfranchisement’ Efforts Belong In Fed Court
Trump II’s Big Talk And Overt Threats Have A Power Of Their Own
Trump II’s Big Talk And Overt Threats Have A Power Of Their Own
No, Trump Is Not The ‘Father Of IVF’
The Great Fluffening of 2024
Kamala Harris Punctures The Fox News Bubble In Her Own Way
Kamala Harris Punctures The Fox News Bubble In Her Own Way
With Major Trans Rights And Abortion Decisions On The Horizon, The Culture War Commences
With Major Trans Rights And Abortion Decisions On The Horizon, The Culture War Commences

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Behind the Headlines: The Truth You Need to Know | © 2025 | Daily News