(DailyEmailNews.com) – A Proud Boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 Capitol protests is seeking a pardon from President-elect Donald Trump.
Joseph Biggs’ attorney argues that his 17-year sentence sends a “chilling message” about free speech and protest in America.
Biggs, who was among the first to enter the Capitol during the January 6 protest, has formally requested clemency from Trump.
His attorney Norm Pattis is leading the charge by framing the potential pardon as a symbol of national reconciliation.
“The notion that Mr. Biggs is some sort of domestic terrorist that should sit behind bars for 17 years is a chilling message to everyone,” Pattis stated.
“And that is you ought not to write patriotic hyperbole and then attend a protest, because if you do, an ambitious prosecutor is going to turn your words into circumstantial evidence of intent to commit a crime. And that’s just un-American,” he added.
Biggs’s request comes as many January 6 defendants are seeking to delay their hearings until after Trump’s inauguration in the hopes of receiving pardons.
As expected, the Department of Justice opposes these delays, arguing that expectations of pardons are based on guesswork.
Trump has flouted the idea of pardoning many January 6 defendants, though he has not specified who would be included.
Biggs himself remains optimistic about receiving a pardon. In a recorded call from jail, he said: “Oh, I know he’ll pardon us. I believe that with all my heart.”
He continued:
“You know, the thing is, is hopefully getting him, you know, for him to be able to get into the position where he can at least be, I think, on the ballot to run right ’cause…but I do believe that Donald J. Trump will pardon us and he should. We didn’t do anything. You know, we’re his supporters. We went there like he asked.”
In his letter to Trump requesting clemency, Pattis praised Trump’s “re-election” and compared the potential pardon to post-Civil War clemency for Confederate supporters.
He argues that pardoning Biggs would help heal national divisions and restore confidence in the future of America.
Other high-ranking Proud Boys members, including former chairman Enrique Tarrio, also plan to seek pardons from Trump.
Supporters of the January 6 defendants are urging Trump to create a systematic approach to handling pardon requests to avoid overwhelming his administration.
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