The Devastating Double Standard for January 6 Rioters

On April 14, 2026, Trump’s Justice Department filed papers asking an appeals court to erase the convictions for “seditious conspiracy” from the criminal records of a dozen rioters who led the planning for the January 6 insurrection. Those convictions resulted from the most serious charges made after January 6, against the masterminds of the operation. All members of the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers, these insurrectionists had had their sentences commuted, but now, the DOJ is asking that their convictions also be wiped clean from their records. That same day, in a different court, the DOJ also filed paperwork indicating another J6 rioter, David Daniel, plans to plead guilty to sexually abusing two children, one under the age of 12, as well as possession of child pornography.

The Nation