While some have praised Donald Trump for issuing “full, complete and unconditional” pardons for the 1,500 people involved in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, Pamela Hemphill has pushed back.
Hemphill, who was also arrested on Jan. 6, has refused to accept Trump’s apology, instead accepting responsibility for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election results that defeated Joe Biden. Victory over Trump.
“Absolutely not,” Hemphill, 71, told the Guardian on Thursday.
“It’s an affront to Capitol Police officers and the rule of law and the nation. It helps propagandize that this was a peaceful protest, that the DoJ is armed against them and Trump.”
During the Capitol riot, Hemphill said he was pushed down, stomped on, and his glasses were broken. She credits the Capitol Police with saving her life.
Two days later was Hemphill. arrested When the FBI received a tip that “he had planned to travel to Washington, D.C. on January 6th and had in fact done so.”
The tip included screenshots of Facebook posts from before the attack, in which Hemphill wrote “It’s a war!” and “Happy New Year! On the way to Washington DC on January 6th!
Hemphill, who earned the nickname “MegaGranny” in reference to Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan, reportedly took an interest in politics after retiring in 2011. Idaho Statesman that she connected online with Amon Bundy’s People’s Rights Network and later began speaking with the Proud Boys, a far-right group that played a key role in the attack.
She then participated in the January 6 Riot with the Proud Boys and streamed what she was doing on YouTube. He pleaded guilty in January 2022 and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years of probation.
In 2023, Hemphill claims he had a change of heart and broke up with Mega. The decision to leave came after rioters accused her of what she calls “a cult” after video footage of the attack was used as evidence against them.
The reaction of fellow rioters against Hemphill was fierce.
Micki Witthoft, the mother of Ashley Babbitt – the woman who was shot and killed by police in the Capitol – mocked Hemphill on social media, calling her “Pamtefa,” a reference to the left-wing anti-fascist group Antifa.
Hemphill, sober since 1979 and now a substance abuse counselor, compared his alcohol addiction to Maga theory. She said going through treatment has changed her perspective. She now sees herself as a volunteer, not a victim.
“These maga cults and these J6 criminals and all their families are very upset that I’m putting facts out there when they say something,” Hemphill said.
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“It’s just like working with an alcoholic — you get really upset when you’re in denial.”
Hemphill even threw his support behind Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, and no longer fears retaliation from Trump loyalists.
Hemphill, along with his lawyer, said Idaho Statesman That she intends to file a rejection letter. The outlet notes that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1833, then later upheld the decision in 1915, that the recipient has the authority to reject a presidential pardon.
On the contrary, The New York Times notes that it is unclear whether she can legally reject a pardon and via Mark Osler, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis: “It would be a new process that someone should be sued in court to reject the pardon, partly because of the low stakes.”
Asked if he had a message for Trump, Hemphill said: “Other people around you told you the election wasn’t stolen. You went out anyway, and lied to the world. Said the election was stolen, but we know it wasn’t and you know it wasn’t.
“Yet, you want to continue your narrative, but we will continue to bring facts to prove you wrong.”
