The pardons did not come as a surprise. As Senate Republicans were cheering for Trump on his march to electoral victory, the former and now current president exalted the “hostages” and “patriots” who injured more than 140 law enforcement officers and caused north of $2.8 million in damage to the Capitol, according to the Department of Justice.

In interviews with a dozen Jan. 6 offenders who received pardons from Trump, they were largely grateful for his deliverance, but signs of remorse were in short supply, though a few others have expressed contrition.

President Donald Trump defended the pardons he issued to January 6 participants in his first interview since returning to the presidency. "They were very minor incidents, and it was time," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview held at the Oval Office.