Violent US Capitol rioters and far-right militia leaders set free by Trump, with Elon Musk’s support

Leaders of far-right militia groups and other US Capitol rioters who were convicted of violently assaulting police were freed from prison overnight by President Donald Trump’s mass pardons and commutations, as his ally Elon Musk threatened that the new administration might prosecute officials if they slow down additional inmate releases.

Leaders of far-right militia groups and other US Capitol rioters who were convicted of violently assaulting police were freed from prison overnight by President Donald Trump’s mass pardons and commutations, as his ally Elon Musk threatened that the new administration might prosecute officials if they slow down additional inmate releases. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, both convicted of seditious conspiracy and serving long sentences, were released early Tuesday. Two brothers convicted of violent felonies were freed late Monday from jail in Washington, DC, and a Trump White House aide credited Musk with their swift release. “Elon Musk knew about this and was the mastermind behind it, in a number of respects,” White House aide Paul Ingrassia said outside the DC jail Monday night, still wearing a tuxedo from an inaugural ball, about the first two inmates that were released there. The tech billionaire and Tesla CEO expressed support for the released convicts with heart emojis on his social media platform X. Responding to unverified claims from right-wing figures that prison officials were delaying some upcoming releases, Musk urged family members of inmates to “let us know if you encounter any difficulties.” Convicted Capitol rioters continue to be released from prison Tuesday, with reports trickling in from across the country and supporters posting celebratory messages online. And rioters who already completed their sentences are no longer hampered by probation conditions, like travel restrictions, and are seeing their civil rights restored, like the right to buy a gun. In one of his first official acts in the Oval Office, Trump signed a sweeping clemency order Monday, pardoning virtually all 1,250 convicted January 6 rioters, commuting the prison sentences of 14 members of far-right extremist groups, and directing the Justice Department to dismiss the roughly 300 pending cases. These moves essentially end all of the January 6 cases.