Try the political quiz
@ISIDEWITHQuestionsDomestic PolicyStarted 1yr agoActive 6mos ago

Should those charged in the January 6 Capitol attack be granted Presidential pardons?

A Presidential pardon is an official forgiveness of a crime, preventing or mitigating legal consequences for the individual(s) granted it. The January 6 Capitol attack involved individuals who were charged with various offenses in connection with the breach of the U.S. Capitol. Proponents argue that pardons could help heal national divisions, noting that many participants were motivated by political beliefs and may have been misled. They see pardons as an act of mercy that could reduce tension. Opponents argue that granting pardons would undermine accountability, signal that politically motivated violence can be excused, and erode the rule of law by removing consequences for serious offenses.

+
Expand
+ Settings

Toggle voterbase

Statistics are shown for this demographic

Answer Overview

Response rates from 11k America voters.

22%
Yes
78%
No

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 11k America voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 11k America voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @B2JNN9V from Arkansas  answered…1yr1Y

Non-violent protesters should be pardoned, but violent protestors should not. Hold Antifa, BLM, and other riots groups to the same standard.

 @B3H228V from Nevada  answered…1yr1Y

An act of insurrection is a form of treason, and shouldn't be permitted due to their political bias.

 @B2KSJBF from Maryland  answered…1yr1Y

No, and, by law, the charges or convictions of treason or insurrection should be ineligible for pardons

 @Dry550  from Illinois  answered…1yr1Y

No, that’s setting a dangerous precedent that criminals can be excused so long as you point your violence at politics, it undermines rule of law and it does undermine accountability

 @B2KMBQM from Idaho  answered…1yr1Y

I think those in the capital attack should be held responsible for the lives that were lost and those who were injured, however i also think that whatever the punishment is, it should not completely alter there life.

 @B2KGDTJ from Illinois  answered…1yr1Y

Depending on what role they played and as long as they did not injure anyone, yes they should be granted presidential pardons.

 @B2KP3YC from Florida  answered…1yr1Y

Only the ones who didn't cause harm to law enforcement/other officials, and the ones who didn't cause over 1000$ in property damage.

  @Jax  from Florida  answered…1yr1Y

They should re-evaluated. If what they did during the riot wasn't violent, then yes. I also think every prisoner should be re-evaluated if they didn't commit a violent crime.

Popular Conversations

Join in on the most popular conversations.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

▲  1614 replies

About This Data

Based on 11k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

iSideWith is non-partisan — we don't advocate for any party, candidate, or position. We report what the public tells us.

Read Our Full Methodology →

Cite Or Embed This Poll

Writing about this issue? Use the live data and link back to the full results.

Cite This Poll

iSideWith. (2026). “Should those charged in the January 6 Capitol attack be granted Presidential pardons?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 23, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/poll/5384887822

Embed The Live Result

Preview