‘Violation of civil rights’: Emboldened by Trump, US Capitol rioters seek retribution

Two months ago, Enrique Tarrio and other men and women convicted over their roles in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, were behind bars, serving lengthy sentences.

Now the group, dubbed J6 hostages by US President Donald Trump, are free, and they’re suing the US government, claiming they were mistreated by federal agencies including the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons.

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, released from prison over his role in the US Capitol riots, is suing federal agencies.Credit: 60 Minutes

In an exclusive interview with 60 Minutes, Tarrio, leader of the far-right Proud Boys, says he’s determined to seek retribution.

“The people that did this to us need to be investigated,” he says. “We’re suing them for multiple reasons, and the main reason is violation of civil rights.”

In May 2023, a federal jury found Tarrio guilty of multiple felonies for his actions before and during the breach of the Capitol.

A scene from the January 6 US Capitol riots.Credit: Getty Images

While he wasn’t in Washington on January 6 – he’d been arrested two days earlier and banned from attending – he received the longest sentence of all the January 6 defendants for orchestrating the riot: 22 years for seditious conspiracy. It’s one of the most serious federal crimes in America, second only to treason.

On January 21, 2025, in the hours after the presidential inauguration, Trump honoured a campaign promise, pardoning more than 1500 people convicted of offences related to the attack.

Tarrio was the highest profile and among the first to walk free. He returned to Washington last month for a victory lap with other Proud Boys members, announcing they would sue.

“I was improperly indicted. I was convicted by a jury of people that hated my guts,” he claims. “The Department of Justice lied and hid information. For that, they have to pay.”

With newfound freedom, fame and the full support of the White House, Tarrio and his Proud Boys are making the most of their resurgence.

Donald Trump honoured his campaign promise to issue pardons over the US Capitol attack.Credit: AP

The group is a relatively new one. It was founded in 2016 and best known before the Capitol riot as a street gang – violent thugs who sought clashes with left-wing groups such as Antifa during the ugly civil unrest of Donald Trump’s first presidency.

Not content with enjoying their freedom, the rioters are determined to prove they are the victims, not the perpetrators of the January 6 attack on democracy.

“They see themselves as the victims of political persecution, and now the guardrails are off,” warns Jon Lewis, an extremism and domestic terrorism expert at George Washington University.

Tarrio says he’s proud of what unfolded on January 6, 2021.Credit: 60 Minutes

Lewis says the mass pardons have sent a dangerous message to groups such as the Proud Boys.

“It emboldens them; it tells them that the next time that you want to attack a Capitol, you will not face any consequences for it,” he says.

“It tells them that the next time that you want to go offline and engage in violence, we will have your back, we will support you. And that tells them that they can do whatever they want at this point.”

Former Washington police officer Michael Fanone, who was nearly killed by the mob that day as he defended the Capitol, says they should still be in prison.

Former Washington police officer Michael Fanone was injured in the riots.Credit: 60 Minutes

He suffered a traumatic brain injury and a heart attack after being dragged, beaten and repeatedly Tasered by Trump supporters. Tarrio was not one of the supporters involved in the physical attack of Fanone.

Seeing Tarrio and the Proud Boys return to the Capitol and be treated as heroes by so many Americans, Fanone fears for the future of the country he fought so hard to protect.

“I’m outraged, I’m angry, I feel betrayed by this country ... It’s a national disgrace,” he says.

He believes more violence is inevitable.

“It’s not about could it happen or would it happen,” Fanone warns.

Tarrio denies any notion – or evidence – that the group is extremist or neo-fascist.

“People think that we’re a political group – we’re not,” he insists. “We’re a drinking club first, and we’re fraternity first, and we’re a brotherhood first before anything to do with politics … the goal is just to make better men.”

The Proud Boys’ moment in the sun came on the US campaign trail in September 2020, during the first presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden. When asked to condemn white supremacists, Trump instead called out the Proud Boys by name.

“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by!”

Tarrio said that moment changed his life.

“Our name was now a household name, you know?”

Four months later, convinced the presidential election had been stolen, they marched on the Capitol in Trump’s name, breaching barricades, smashing windows and breaking into Congress, where lawmakers were attempting to certify the election result.

Tarrio says he’s proud of what unfolded on January 6.

“I still celebrate that day,” he tells 60 Minutes. “I think if there is a stolen election, it is the duty of the people to go out in the streets. I’d rather have violent freedom than silent tyranny.”

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