After Daniel Rodriguez pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer during the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on January 6, 2021, he was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison by a federal judge who called “one-man army of hatred.
Two other men, Albuquerque Cosper Head and Kyle J. Young, were sentenced to more than seven years for their parts in the assault on the officer, Michael Fanone.
On Monday, President Trump pardoned the three, grouping them with nearly 1,600 others who had been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot and whom he suggested had been victims of a politicized prosecution. His concession of clemency comes despite a wealth of evidence about their crimes, including videos used against them by the Justice Department.
Some of the videos document the horrific moment when Officer Fanone, who rushed to defend the Capitol on his day off, was dragged into the crowd by Mr. Head, beaten by Mr. Young and then attacked with a pistol paralyzing by Mr. Rodriguez.
Officer Fanone’s body camera video shows Mr. Rodriguez driving the stun gun into Officer Fanone’s neck, causing him to scream. Officer Fanone, who has since left the police force, suffered serious injuries that day and suffered a heart attack.
