The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia on Thursday said the Justice Department is not dropping charges "at this time" against two Jan. 6 defendants for failing to appear for trial.
U.S. Attorney Ed Martin said that although the DOJ is dropping eight charges against Joseph Daniel Hutchinson III and Olivia Michelle Pollock as a result of President Donald Trump's executive order that pardoned Jan. 6 defendants, two charges will remain.
Pollock and Hutchinson were arrested in 2021 after being charged with assaulting law enforcement and other crimes. CBS News reported they removed their ankle monitors in March 2023 before they were set to stand trial.
The two defendants, along with Pollock's brother Jonathan, were arrested by FBI agents on Jan. 6, 2024, in Groveland, Florida.
In Thursday's filing, there was no mention of Jonathan Pollock, who was accused of assaulting multiple police officers with a deadly weapon.
"JUST IN: DOJ and @EagleEdMartin make clear 'at this time' they are not dropping charges against Jan. 6 defendants for fleeing and seeking to evade court proceedings," Politico's Kyle Cheney posted Thursday on X with a copy of the court filing.
Trump on Monday issued a "complete and unconditional pardon" to most of the individuals who were convicted for actions at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and ordered the DOJ to drop the 470 ongoing cases. Trump commuted the sentences of another 14 but did not grant them full pardons. In all, 1,583 people were charged.
A handful of Senate Republicans criticized Trump for the pardons and commutations.
"I don't think that the approach of a blanket pardon that includes those who caused harm, physical harm to our police officers, to others, that resulted in violence — I'm disappointed to see that. And I do fear the message that is sent to these great men and women who stood by us," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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