President-elect Donald Trump has indicated an openness to extremist groups like the Proud Boys entering politics.
Trump has pardoned around 1,500 people who were convicted in connection with the January 6th Capitol riot, including more than 200 convicted of assaulting police officers.
Among those pardoned was Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio.
Tarrio was serving a 22-year sentence for storming the Capitol and rioting to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Trump to Biden after the 2020 election, the Associated Press reported.
When asked if there was a place for the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers in politics, Trump said, "Well, we have to see. They've been given a pardon. I thought their sentences were ridiculous and excessive."
The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police were critical of the pardons.
"Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety — they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law," the groups stated. "Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families."
Tarrio was found guilty of seditious conspiracy in May of 2023, along with three other members of the Proud Boys, a far-right militant organization, who were involved in the attacks on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Tarrio received the longest sentence of those associated with the Jan. 6 attack. However, he was not physically present in Washington on the day of the riots. He was convicted of assisting with planning the assault in the months leading up to Jan. 6, later being arrested and ordered to stay out of the city.
Originally published on IBTimes
