COMMON DEFENSE DENOUNCES TRUMP’S PARDONS AS A PATTERN OF ENABLING VIOLENT EXTREMISM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 21, 2025
“To no surprise, Trump’s actions show a consistent willingness to empower extremists,”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, President Donald Trump granted sweeping pardons and commutations to all of the nearly 1,600 people charged for their participation in the attack on our nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021. Today, Common Defense, the nation’s largest veteran-led grassroots organization, denounces President Trump’s decision to pardon violent extremists, including members of the Oath Keepers militia and the Proud Boys—groups with documented histories of promoting political violence and undermining democratic institutions. These pardons not only undermine accountability for one of the darkest days in American history but also echo Trump's prior actions enabling violent extremism both domestically and abroad.
“The January 6 insurrection was a direct assault on the Constitution which every veteran swore to defend,” said Naveed Shah, Common Defense’s Political Director and Army Veteran. “By pardoning those who sought to violently overturn a democratic election, Donald Trump has once again shown he prioritizes loyalty to his own power over the rule of law and the safety of our country.”
This is not the first time President Trump has demonstrated a disregard for the consequences of violent extremism. In September 2020, he facilitated the release of thousands of violent extremists, many of whom were instrumental in overthrowing the Afghan government following the United States withdrawal. As many of our members and staff are veterans of the Global War on Terror, who served to protect democracy abroad, we are collectively outraged by this pattern of enabling individuals who threaten stability and safety.
“To no surprise, Trump’s actions show a consistent willingness to empower extremists,” said Kris Goldsmith, Founder of Task Force Butler and an Army Veteran who served in Iraq in 2005. “From releasing Taliban fighters who later led the charge to destabilize Afghanistan, to now pardoning domestic terrorists who attacked the U.S. Capitol, his decisions jeopardize everything we fought to protect as veterans.”
Common Defense wants to highlight the stark contrast between Trump’s rhetoric and his actions. While claiming to champion veterans and national security, he continues to side with those who threaten the values of democracy that service members have sacrificed to uphold.
Veterans across the country are calling on elected officials, regardless of party, to condemn these pardons and recommit to upholding accountability, justice, and the rule of law. The erosion of democratic norms and the normalization of political violence are threats that must be confronted, not excused. No matter how Trump tries to rewrite history, we remember the January 6, 2021, attack on our Capitol for what it was: an attempted insurrection fomented by Trump that killed and injured law enforcement officers and nearly tore our country apart.
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Common Defense Civic Engagement is a grassroots, veteran-led organization (501c4) that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.