In the narrative spun by the 47th President and his most ardent supporters, the men and women who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, were largely cast as “political prisoners,” patriots swept up in a moment of passion, unfairly persecuted by a weaponized justice system.
It was this narrative that fueled one of President Trump’s first and most controversial acts upon returning to office: a sweeping pardon for roughly 1,500 defendants.
But as the dust settles and the recipients of those pardons return to civilian life, the reality is proving to be far grimier than the “freedom fighter” portrait suggests.
This week, that reality hit a new low in a Florida courtroom. Andrew Paul Johnson, a self-proclaimed “American Terrorist” and “Proud J6er” who received a presidential pardon just last year, was convicted of sexually assaulting children.
Johnson, a Florida handyman, was originally sentenced to a year in prison for his role in the Capitol breach, where he entered through a broken window and menaced police officers. He was one of the many beneficiaries of Trump’s blanket clemency, a move intended to wipe the slate clean for those the President deemed “hostages.”
However, a jury in Hernando County found that Johnson’s conduct away from the Capitol was far more sinister than political unrest. On Tuesday, he was found guilty on five counts, including molesting a child under 12 and another under 16, as well as lewd and lascivious exhibition. He now faces up to life in prison.
Perhaps the most disturbing detail to emerge from the trial, and the one that speaks volumes about the psychology of the “J6er” identity, is how Johnson attempted to silence his victims.
According to police reports, Johnson tried to bribe one of the children by promising them a cut of the “restitution” money he claimed he would receive from the Trump administration. He told the victim he was expecting a $10 million payout as a reward for his involvement in January 6 and would write the child into his will if they stayed quiet.
Johnson’s conviction is not an isolated incident, but rather the most heinous example in a growing pattern. Since the mass pardons were issued, reports have surfaced of other beneficiaries finding themselves back in handcuffs.
From Christopher Moynihan, who pleaded guilty to harassment after threatening House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, to Jake Lang, arrested for destroying property at the Minnesota state Capitol, the “political prisoner” class seems to be struggling with the basic tenets of law and order.
Critics of the blanket pardons warned that bypassing the traditional, rigorous vetting process of the Department of Justice would inevitably lead to releasing individuals who were threats to public safety.
Johnson’s case is a tragic validation of those fears. When you skip the background check to score political points, you don’t just release “patriots”; you release predators who were merely interrupted by their time in D.C..
