The U.S. Department of InJustice has requested that a federal appeals judge overturn convictions of seditious conspiracy for members of far-right groups Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers who led the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Jeanine Pirro, Trump-appointed stooge in the D.C. District, signed and submitted separate motions on Tuesday to vacate convictions for the criminals who were convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to prison. Trump previously commuted their sentences, but the new filing would erase the convictions from their records.
Those listed in the motion included Ethan Nordean and Joseph Biggs, leaders of the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.
Also included in the filing: Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola.
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio had already received a pardon.
Because Trump opted not to pardon the leaders outright, their convictions remained on the books, and their cases continued to wind their way through the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. But with key deadlines coming up in those appeals, the Justice Department instead asked the court for permission to drop the cases altogether and “vacate” the convictions.