Arizonans pardoned by Trump for Jan. 6 Capitol attack respond by thanking God and buying guns
As people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol learned of their pardons from President Donald Trump, those with Arizona ties professed their gratitude, and one ― who became an icon of the incident ― announced plans to purchase weapons.
Jake Angeli, whose fur hat with horns and his chest of shamanistic tattoos made him a visual shorthand of the attack, wrote on X on Monday night that his lawyer had just told him about the pardon.
“Now I am gonna buy some (expletive) guns!!!” he posted.
Trump, capping his first day in office, issued blanket pardons for all but a handful of those convicted of crimes related to the attack on the Capitol. Trump supporters stormed the building, sending members of Congress fleeing for safety. The official certification of the 2020 election of President Joe Biden over Trump was delayed for hours.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes criticized the pardons during a news conference on Tuesday, calling them the "most anti-law enforcement action that any president of the United States has ever taken."
Mayes said she could not officially do anything about the pardons and commutations other than denounce them. She said the public shouldn't forget the events of that day, including the officers who were injured trying to protect lawmakers.
"I find it deeply appalling, disgusting and offensive to every law enforcement officer in this country and in the state of Arizona," Mayes said.
Besides the pardons, Trump also commuted the sentences of 14 people. That preserved their convictions but allowed for their release from prison.
Among those was Edward Vallejo, 66, who was found guilty by a jury of seditious conspiracy in January 2023. The Bureau of Prisons website showed him still in custody on Tuesday afternoon.
Tim Gionet, known online as “Baked Alaska,” also celebrated his pardon. Gionet, who used to live in Arizona, pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of parading or demonstrating in the Capitol building.
“Thank you to everyone who has always supported me over the years,” Gionet wrote Monday night. “It’s a bit emotional for me knowing 1,500 patriots were just freed. My probation is terminated. God is so good.”
Ryan Zink, who went to the Capitol with his father, Jeff Zink, and who has failed in his bids to win a seat in Congress from Phoenix, posted on social media thanking God for the pardon of his jury conviction.
“Praise the Lord in everything,” Ryan Zink wrote. “I have my rights back. Praise him in the storm. Onto full restoration and recovery for all J6 defendants.”
Ryan Zink, who failed in his own bid for Congress out of Texas, posted Tuesday that he drove a released “J6er” home.
A closer look: Here's what happened to the Arizonans who were at the US Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot
Some from Arizona arrested after tips from public
The pardons and commutations have the effect of dismissing extensive law enforcement work to find people who were pictured on video.
Some defendants from Arizona were arrested after tips to the FBI. Someone who knew Nathan Wayne Entrekin of Cottonwood tipped off the FBI after seeing video of him at the riot dressed as Captain Moroni, a figure from the Book of Mormon.
Another man, Jacob Zerkle of Bowie, was arrested after the FBI sought the public’s help in identifying him. Zerkle was partly identified because of his unique beard, styled into two distinct mutton chops extending past his face.
Another man, James Burton McGrew, was found after video showed him lifting his shirt at the U.S. Capitol to ward off tear gas. On his stomach was a distinctive tattoo that read “King James” in an old English font. Investigators partly verified his identity by finding a years-old booking photo that showed the same tattoo. Authorities arrested McGrew in Arizona where, according to court records, he was planning to move in with a relative.
Vallejo, the man convicted of seditious conspiracy and still listed as in custody, was arrested in January 2022 following an investigation that spanned more than seven months. Vallejo was tried before a jury alongside members of the Oath Keepers extremist group.
One of the leaders of that group, Stewart Rhodes, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. But he was listed in Trump's executive order, along with Vallejo, as among those whose sentences were shortened.
Angeli was quickly the subject of news stories by The Arizona Republic and other outlets identifying him following the attack. Angeli already was a fixture in that outfit ― fur hat with horns, shirtless with a tattooed torso, painted face ― at protests and rallies in the Phoenix area. Prosecutors said he was among the first to enter the U.S. Capitol that day.
Angeli, who was charged under his legal name, Jacob Chansley, called the FBI and arranged an interview upon his return to Phoenix. He was arrested at that meeting on Jan. 9, 2021.
After learning of the pardon, he posted on X that “J6ers are getting released & justice has come…Everything done in the dark will come to light.”
He posted a cartoon image of himself in a version of his signature getup. But rather than the spear he brandished at the U.S. Capitol, the cartoon Angeli held a rifle in the air. He did not respond to an emailed request for an interview.
Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger contributed to this article.
Reach Ruelas at 602-444-8473 or richard.ruelas@arizonarepublic.com. Follow the reporter at @ruelaswritings on X.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizonans pardoned by Trump for roles in Jan. 6 Capitol attack respond
