Mike Pence Sends Letter to Jan. 6 Rioter Sharing His ‘Genuine Respect’ for Her Decision to Reject Trump’s Pardon

Jose Luis Magana/Matthew Kelley/AP photos

Pam Hemphill, the Capitol rioter nicknamed “MAGA Granny” after she was arrested, gained new fame after she publicly denounced President Donald Trump and apologized for her own involvement in the riot. Her abjuration of Trump and rejection of his pardon made national news and won her a new fan — former Vice President Mike Pence.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Hemphill was among the rioters who entered the Capitol, and she was arrested at her home in Boise, Idaho several months later. The evidence presented by federal investigators included photos, video, and social media posts by Hemphill about her plans to attend the protest in Washington, D.C. and then from that day, including inside the Capitol building. Additional photo evidence and video surveillance footage confirmed Hemphill’s participation.

Hemphill was charged with four criminal counts, and pleaded guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building. As part of her plea, she apologized for “everything I said and did at the Capitol,” and prosecutors dropped the three remaining charges.  She was sentenced to 60 days in prison, 36 months probation, and ordered to pay $500 restitution, and served her prison time at a federal women’s prison in Dublin, California in July and August 2022.

According to Hemphill, she began reevaluating her support for Trump while behind bars, and eventually completely reversed her view on him and the events of January 6 several months after her release.

In June 2023, Trump wrote a post on Truth Social calling Hemphill’s sentence “HORRIBLE!” but she rebuked him, writing “Please @realDonaldTrump don’t be using me for anything, I’m not a victim of Jan6, I pleaded guilty because I was guilty!”

She added a “#StopTheSpin” hashtag, presumably as a reference to the “Stop the Steal” slogan used by Trump and his supporters claiming there had been fraud in the 2020 election.

After Trump was re-elected, on the first day of his second term, he issued sweeping pardons for the January 6 rioters, but Hemphill rejected her pardon, saying that accepting it “would be a slap in the face to the Capitol Police officers, the rule of law.”

“I pleaded guilty because I was guilty,” she reiterated. “It would help their narrative that it was a peaceful protest that day. No, it was not a peaceful protest, it was an insurrection. I don’t want any part of anything that Trump is offering.”

Over the next few months, Hemphill continued to speak out, criticizing the narrative from Trump and his supporters that January 6 had been a peaceful protest and the rioters were “victims” of a Department of Justice “weaponized” against them. Earlier this month, she appealed to Sen. James Risch (R-ID) to assist with her request for the DOJ to provide formal certification that she was rejecting the pardon.

Hemphill’s personal accountability crusade won the admiration of Pence, who was presiding over the Electoral College vote certification when the attack began and was evacuated by the Secret Service to a secure location within the Capitol complex as rioters — spurred on by Trump’s tweet that his vice president “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done” — stormed the halls chanting “Hang Mike Pence!”

Pence sent Hemphill a letter, and she proudly tweeted a photo of it.

“It’s been a long and hard journey,” she wrote, “but this letter I received today has made every heartache, smear campaign and sleepless night more than worth it!”

The text of Pence’s letter read:

Dear Pamela,

I am writing to express my admiration for your decision to refuse a presidential pardon and accept responsibility for your actions on January 6th.

January 6th was a tragic day, but I will always believe that I did my duty that day to see to the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States.

Your honorable decision speaks volumes about your commitment to the Rule of Law and I wanted to pass along my genuine respect.

I am certain that your willingness to accept responsibility has inspired many Americans by your example of integrity and faith. May God bless you and your family with every blessing in the years ahead.

Most Sincerely,

Mike Pence
48th Vice President of the United States

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