In a dramatic and historic repudiation of Donald Trump’s mass pardons for Capitol rioters, one of the former president’s supporters has taken the extraordinary step of formally refusing his grant of clemency.
Pamela Hemphill, a 71-year-old Idaho woman and one of more than 1,500 people pardoned by Trump earlier this year for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, has asked the Department of Justice to reject the clemency extended to her on Jan. 20 — the day Trump returned to the White House.
Her refusal, a rare and powerful act of public accountability, represents perhaps the most pointed backlash yet from within the convicted Jan. 6 ranks.
“The pardons just contribute to their narrative, which is all lies, propaganda. We were guilty, period,” Hemphill told CBS News. “They are using January 6 to just continue Trump’s narrative that the Justice Department was weaponized. They were not.”
Hemphill, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful parading in the Capitol and was sentenced in 2022 to three years of probation, played an active role in rallying others to join the riot.
Prosecutors said she was at the front lines during confrontations with U.S. Capitol Police and had used her platform to encourage participation.
“On December 28, 2020, Hemphill posted encouragement to go to Washington, D.C. for January 6, saying ‘it’s a WAR!’” prosecutors wrote. “On January 1, 2021, she posted a message ‘on my way to Washington DC January 6th.’”
Hemphill, who acknowledged guilt and accepted the consequences of her actions, has now turned to her Republican senator, James Risch of Idaho, to ensure the federal government honors her rejection of the pardon. In a letter dated April 2, the Office of the Pardon Attorney confirmed to Sen. Risch that Hemphill’s “non-acceptance is noted,” and that no formal pardon certificate would be issued.
“The Office of U.S. Senator Jim Risch regularly assists constituents with matters pertaining to federal agencies or programs,” a spokesperson for Sen. Risch stated. “Due to privacy concerns, we cannot disclose details about individual cases.”
Hemphill said she could not reconcile accepting clemency with her understanding of right and wrong.
“How could you sleep at night taking a pardon when you know you were guilty? You know that everybody there was guilty. I couldn’t live with myself. I have to be right with me. And with God,” she said.
She said she is bracing for the possibility of retaliation from Trump, whom she once fervently supported.
“Trump will probably say that ungrateful lady, I’m going to make sure she gets back on probation and give her the worst you can give her. I won’t be surprised,” she said.
