Judge tosses Proud Boys seditious conspiracy case after Trump's broad clemency

A federal judge has dismissed the remaining seditious conspiracy charges against members of the far-right Proud Boys. The ruling effectively ends the government's landmark case against the group, which had been convicted of plotting to attack the Capitol to keep President Donald Trump in power.

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President Trump's views about the prosecution of those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, whether those views are based on fact or fiction, are well known, as is his intention to extend clemency to them.

The dismissal became inevitable after Trump used his pardon powers to erase cases prosecuted following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, appointed by Trump, stated there was "little mystery" behind the decision to abandon the case, citing Trump's widely known views and intentions regarding clemency for those involved.

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a perilous event

Judge Kelly emphasized that his order does not endorse the Justice Department's decision to drop the case. He described the Capitol riot as a "perilous event" and an assault on the peaceful transfer of power. The judge's ruling applied to four Proud Boys members convicted at trial, though their sentences had been commuted rather than pardoned. Separately, former national chairman Enrique Tarrio, also convicted, received a presidential pardon.

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Moving forward, if this Nation's experiment in self-government is to last another 250 years, the American people, no matter their partisan preferences, will have to act together to preserve, protect and defend that miracle through our constitutional framework.