Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys who Donald Trump pardoned for his conviction related to his participation in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, shared that he had met with Trump last weekend at his resort in Florida. Tarrio announced the social media platform X. “Yesterday, I had the honor of meeting the President of the United States, a moment I never could have imagined in my darkest days,” Tarrio wrote.
Tarrio Shares Meeting On X
Tarrio also shared other information about his time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on X. Tarrio says he was at the president’s club, Mar-a-Lago, and that he and Trump had a “great conversation.” Tarrio says that Trump called him and his mother over during dinner after seeing him. After Tarrio’s posts, the White House released a statement saying the meeting “was not official. A White House official said that the meeting had not been planned. The official added that Tarrio was dining with a club member who introduced him to Trump. The statement said that the two men only had a “brief exchange” as Trump made his way to his table for dinner.
Trump Defends Pardons
Tarrio was convicted by a federal jury along with three of the Proud Boys’ lieutenants for seditious conspiracy in the plot to try to keep Trump in the White House after losing the election to Joe Biden. Tarrio was sentenced to a 22-year prison term, the longest given to any Capitol rioter, when Trump issued a pardon for him. Tarrio was pardoned after serving three years in prison. When the Proud Boys members stormed the Capitol, Tarrio was not present in Washington, D.C.. Still, prosecutors proved that the then-Proud Boys leader from Miami had organized and led the Proud Boys, an extremist group, in their role in the insurrection from afar.
Conclusion
Trump quickly defended his clemency actions on his first day in the Oval Office. Trump pardoned 1,500-plus people who participated in the Capitol riot. Trump even suggested that there could be a place for members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers in American politics. Before Trump ordered the Proud Boys on national TV to “stand back and stand by” during his 2020 debate with Biden, the extremist group was best known for its anti-fascist behavior and street fights.
