By Alan Feuer
Recently released from President Donald Trump’s expansive clemency measures, two of the most infamous far-right figures in the U.S. — Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers — made statements this week.
While the individuals refrained from making concrete predictions regarding the future of their beleaguered organizations, they assertively indicated they wished for Trump to take revenge for their prosecutions related to the events of January 6, 2021.
Prior to Trump’s reprieve on Monday night, both had been serving substantial prison sentences — Tarrio for 22 years and Rhodes for 18 years — due to seditious conspiracy convictions linked to their acts during the Capitol riot. The severity of the charges and sentences they faced ranked among the harshest of the nearly 1,600 individuals prosecuted over the Jan. 6 incident.
Perhaps due to this background, their comments, directed toward predominantly supportive audiences, conveyed a sense of restrained aggression.
They were evasive regarding the type of presence their former organizations might have within a second Trump administration. Nevertheless, they clearly mirrored statements made by Trump and certain allies suggesting that those who sought to hold Trump and the Jan. 6 rioters accountable should themselves face consequences.
“Success,” Tarrio asserted, “will be retribution.”
Tarrio made these declarations during a call to Alex Jones, the pro-Trump conspiracy theorist and owner of Infowars. He called into Jones’ program just hours after his release from a federal prison in Louisiana, promptly expressing gratitude to Trump “for guiding us through these tough times and for freeing me.”
“Twenty-two years — it’s not a brief sentence,” he remarked. “That’s essentially my entire life. So Trump has literally restored my life.”
Tarrio then launched into a prolonged criticism of the criminal trial in U.S. District Court in Washington where he and three of his associates were found guilty of sedition — a charge that necessitates proving defendants employed violent force against the government.
He alleged that the jury was prejudiced and argued it was unjust to have conducted the trial in Washington.
“I don’t believe they considered the evidence,” he said regarding the jurors who convicted him. “They were more focused on imprisoning Trump backers.”
The Proud Boys were instrumental on January 6 in challenging police at the Capitol and urging other rioters to breach police barricades. Although Tarrio wasn’t present in Washington that day, prosecutors allege he assisted in preparing his members for conflicts and stayed in contact with them while the mob — led by the Proud Boys — overtook the Capitol.
In his early hours of freedom, he also fixated on seeking vengeance against those who investigated and prosecuted the January 6 events. “Now it’s our turn,” Tarrio proclaimed.
“The individuals responsible for this need to be held accountable,” he stated. “They should be imprisoned and charged.”
At a White House press conference on Tuesday, Trump was queried about the potential involvement of far-right groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers in political discussions, given his extensive efforts to pardon their members or commute their sentences.
“Well, we will have to see,” Trump responded. “They’ve received a pardon. I regarded their sentences as ridiculous and extreme.”
Rhodes similarly mentioned he sought retribution when he arrived on Tuesday afternoon at the local jail in Washington that has housed several January 6 defendants over the years and stood as a focal point for protests against the federal prosecutions of the rioters.
He expressed hope that Kash Patel, Trump’s choice to lead the FBI, would “come in and clean up” the bureau. He also accused the officials who oversaw his trial of illegal conduct.
“What must occur first,” Rhodes stated, “is that the prosecutors who facilitated perjury — which is a crime — must be held accountable for their offenses.”
During his sentencing hearing in 2023, Rhodes defiantly proclaimed himself “a political prisoner,” likening himself to Soviet-era dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn and the troubled protagonist in Franz Kafka’s “The Trial.”
Outside the Washington jail, he remained equally unapologetic. When asked how he believed history should interpret January 6, he remarked, “As Patriots’ Day — a day we stood up for our nation because we recognized the election was stolen.”
Regarding any regrets, he stated he had none, adding, “Because we acted rightly.”
The prosecutions linked to January 6 caused significant damage to the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers as federal authorities arrested numerous members from both organizations nationwide, and prosecutors tried and convicted many underlings — often with the assistance of insiders and informants.
The Oath Keepers, in particular, are hardly considered a functional group anymore. Meanwhile, although the Proud Boys disbanded their national leadership group — dubbed the Elders Chapter — due to the pressure of the January 6 investigation, many local chapters of the group remain active.
In fact, on Inauguration Day, members of the Proud Boys appeared in significant numbers in Washington for the first time since January 6, marching with a banner congratulating Trump on his return to the presidency. Their visibility on the streets — notably in Washington — indicated that some in the Proud Boys sought to publicly demonstrate their strength.
Tarrio, however, was somewhat reserved about the future of the group, delivering his usual sentiment regarding the organization.
“I believe the future of the club will remain what it has always been,” he remarked, “just a group of individuals who love America, gather to drink beer, and shield Trump supporters from aggression.”
As for his own status within the group, he offered a typically sly response.
“I have a suggestion for the mainstream media,” he noted. “They ought to stop referring to me as the ex-leader of the Proud Boys.”
Rhodes was similarly non-committal — though perhaps a bit less self-satisfied.
He admitted uncertainty about the future of the Oath Keepers, saying, “I might just choose to step back.”
Regardless, he continued, he had other considerations to address currently. When a reporter asked him what he planned to do first upon returning home, his response was quick and straightforward.
“I’m going to report to my probation officer,” he replied.
