As Donald Trump’s second inauguration nears, many defendants from Jan. 6, 2021, are hoping he keeps his word and issues pardons.
Few people know more about Jan. 6 cases and the evidence against defendants than Matt Graves, D.C.’s outgoing U.S. attorney. Graves led the prosecution effort. He resigns his post Thursday.
The News4 I-Team sat down with Graves and discussed Jan. 6 pardons, D.C. crime and calls for political prosecutions. He described his more than three years on the job as the “honor of a lifetime.”
Graves said he’s proud of his accomplishments. Violent crime in D.C. dropped 35% last year and could be down more this year.
“We are seeing substantial reductions in our total violent crime numbers,” he said.
But he said he knows there’s more to talk about at the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office as he prepares to leave.
On Graves’ watch, the office oversaw charges against nearly 1,600 people accused of crimes from the Jan. 6 insurrection. He was quick to note the office declined to charge 400 others who were on Capitol grounds that day but didn’t enter the building.
Trump has promised pardons on his first day in office to those he has called “hostages.”
Graves, not surprisingly, doesn’t agree.
“I do not believe that anyone deserves a pardon,” he told the I-Team.