On his first day in office this week, President Donald Trump pardoned all rioters at the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Jason Riddle served time in jail for his participation in the 2021 riot where he stole a bottle of wine and a book on Senate procedure.
He told NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley that he is rejecting Trump’s pardon.
Transcript
Editor’s note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity
First, I want to ask you, how did you find out you were pardoned?
I was at the gym. My husband and I were both there working out, and I saw it on one of the TVs. And I looked over at him and was like, 'It looks like I'm pardoned today.'
So take us back. Why did you go to the Capitol on Jan. 6?
By Jan. 6 it became sort of a routine in my life. I drove to Maine, I drove to New York for Trump rallies. When I was heading to Jan. 6, it was a Trump rally. I thought I was going to see the president one last time before he leaves office. I didn't really believe the 'big lie' [but] I more than likely perpetuated it on social media and still went down there thinking it was a good idea to do so.
The rally was being billed as the 'Stop the Steal' rally. What was it about Donald Trump that really appealed to you?
I'm a recovering alcoholic. At the time, I was not recovering. I would combine alcohol with my politics and I'd put it online too. I spent a lot of time on social media in the comments section arguing with strangers about nothing. And it just became more or less my identity. The less I had a life, the louder I was about being a Trump supporter. And instead of trying to figure out what was causing these problems, looking at myself, I blamed other people and politics. That's easy to do. And I fit right into the MAGA circle.
So you're at Trump's so-called 'Stop the Steal' rally. What was going through your head when you ended up entering the Capitol building?
The overall feeling was kind of like this jubilant celebration. I didn't really understand what we were celebrating, but I definitely took part in that. People were smashing windows and breaking things, and I went in and spotted a liquor cabinet and – doing what a good alcoholic does – just poured myself a drink because why not? My mentality though was kind of apocalyptic. I'm watching the Capitol get burned down, and I just couldn't believe it.
At what point do you realize that this is not a celebration, that this is going horribly wrong? That people are getting killed, police officers are getting assaulted?
I'm glad you brought that up. Actually, it was outside the building. It was all a joke to me, even as a police officer came in the room and pointed at everyone. He said, 'Get out of here, get out of here.' And he saw me holding the bottle and he locked eyes with me and went, 'You chug that and get out of here.' And I stopped chugging it and I left.
Once I was outside the building I started talking with this random gentleman, and he's like, 'I heard people are getting in there.' And I was like, 'Oh, they're in there. It's theirs.' And I started chatting with him and he said, 'They're shooting people, too.' And I was like, 'No, they're not. It's a joke. I was just in there. It's a party. They're drinking and they're vandalizing, but no one's getting shot.' And he was like, 'No, someone got shot in the neck. I saw her get brought out.'
[That was] Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer.
Yes. That's the moment it all changed. I was like, 'Oh my God. All right, I did something.' And all that jubilation and all the immaturity, it all turned into fear.
And you ended up serving time for stealing the government property, [a] book and the liquor during the riot, you ended up spending 90 days in jail. How did that experience affect you?
So by then I actually had some sobriety under my belt and things were starting to change in my head. I remember feeling like, 'All these guys in the red hats, they're kind of jerks.' But then I got to prison, and I was treated like a celebrity for having stormed the Capitol building. Not just from the inmates, but from the staff as well. The first thing a correctional officer said to me when I reported in the booking was, 'Let's go, Brandon.' So I definitely clung on to this patriot hero nonsense.
At what point did you stop supporting Donald Trump?
After I got out of prison, Trump had gotten indicted and he put on social media asking people to come out and protest for him. And I remember thinking, 'What are you doing, Trump? Remember what happened at the riot? Someone might get hurt. Why would you ask people to protest?'
And that's when I had the epiphany, the duh moment, where I'm like, 'He asked this because he doesn't care about anybody other than himself.' That's when on the inside I knew and I stopped supporting him.
One thing, too – One thing I did not believe in was change before this experience.
Change in what way?
Just change in general. It was actually a quote of Trump that I would carry and repeat. Trump said, 'People talk about change. Nobody ever changes.' And I believed that. And now I believe change is necessary for survival.
So what was your reaction to getting pardoned after serving your time?
It's almost like he was trying to say it didn't happen. And it happened. I did those things, and they weren't pardonable. I don't want the pardon. And I also learned that I can reject the pardon. And I did reject the pardon because I'm thinking down the road [if] an employer looks in my background, they see misdemeanors... Misdemeanors with a presidential pardon -- I think that tends to draw more attention. And I'm sure that's fine in the MAGA world with whoever supports Trump, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering if the job I'm applying to, if they like Trump.
I'm a recovering alcoholic. And I also had some other mental health problems. That's a bad mix, it's a vicious cycle. I got rid of drinking, and now I have no problem. I'm able to handle my mental health problems, but I still just can't help but think of all the the suicides amongst the Capitol Police officers since the riot. I can empathize. I just can't imagine – it's got to be real hard for anyone working in that department with him coming back into office and now pardoning 1,500 people who assaulted their brothers and sisters on that day. And I think about them.
Editor's note: People can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, as well as 833-710-6477 for New Hampshire’s Rapid Response Access Point, for help in a mental health or substance use crisis.
They can also go to NAMI’s website or social media channels for information about additional crisis resources.
