Jan. 6 Rioter Rebukes Donald Trump: 'He Needs to Be Put in Prison'

Pam Hemphill, found guilty of her actions on January 6, 2021, during the U.S. Capitol riot is now a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump and his Make American Great Again (MAGA) movement, calling him "dangerous narcissist" in a phone interview with Newsweek on Saturday.

In 2022, the 70-year-old from Boise, Idaho, served two months in jail as part of a plea agreement for breaching the Capitol building during the riot. On January 6, a group of Trump's supporters violently protested the 2020 presidential election results at the legislative building in an alleged effort to block Congress from certifying then President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. Critics say the rioters were motivated by Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud, which have not been backed up by substantial evidence.

More than 1,200 individuals—including Trump himself—have been charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for their alleged involvement in the riot in the years that followed, with many already convicted and serving sentences. Trump, the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, has maintained his innocence. In the coming months, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider several cases related to the January 6 defendants, including one that could determine whether or not the former president can face federal charges for his alleged involvement.

Hemphill is now among the former Trump supporters who believes the former president should face his own prosecution and sentencing.

"Trump is a dangerous, and I mean a dangerous narcissist. He needs to be put in prison," Hemphill said in a phone interview with Newsweek. "In my opinion, he has committed crimes and needs to be held accountable. He's not above the law."

Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign via email for additional comment.

Hemphill, a cancer survivor with no previous criminal history, was sentenced in July 2022 to two months in prison for breaching the Capitol. According to reports, she pushed through police lines as the crowd outside grew violent. Hemphill also encouraged rioters to push their way inside and was later seen inside the Rotunda. Prosecutors said when police offered to help her, Hemphill exaggerated her injuries in an effort to distract their efforts.

The judge also sentenced Hemphill to three years of probation and ordered her to pay $500 in restitution for damages to the Capitol, which reportedly sustained $2.7 million in damages.

Since her release from federal prison in Dublin, California, Hemphill has made several appearances on cable news networks, renouncing Trump and his MAGA movement. She appeared on CNN Friday night with Abby Phillip.

In September 2023, she pinned a letter to her X, formerly known as Twitter, account that she said she hoped to read in front of Congress and enter into the public record.

In an X post on Saturday morning sharing her interview with Phillip, Hemphill wrote, "Read the comments about my interview, someone said to get on Biden's campaign trail, I would love that."

Hemphill, who now resides in South Carolina, told Newsweek she still identifies as a Republican and that she shares a political ideology similar to former Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Hemphill added that she would be "fine if the Democrats won the (presidential) election."

She said she doesn't believe Democrats—or anti-Trump Republicans and independents—are doing enough to combat what she calls "Trump's divisive rhetoric." However, she did praise Biden's Friday night speech that called out Trump and those involved in the riot that took place three years ago.

"They need to put me out there more. I've walked with the far-right. Coming from me, I think people will listen," Hemphill said. "They're both (Republicans and Democrats) afraid of Trump. Now you have lone wolves out there, threatening judges. They have to put their fear in the closet and get some courage and stand up against him."

Of the more than 1,200 people charged with federal crimes in relation to the riot, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, about 730 people have pleaded guilty to charges, while about 170 have been convicted of at least one charge at a trial decided by a judge or a jury, according to the Associated Press on Friday.

Five people died within 36 hours of the Capitol riot. There were also hundreds of injuries that day, including 174 police officers defending the Capitol. Four officers who responded to the attack reportedly died by suicide within seven months.

Hemphill told Newsweek on Saturday that she doesn't believe the DOJ is "weaponized" against January 6 protestors, adding that she "was treated very respectfully by the FBI."

During her CNN interview, Hemphill also disputed any notion that January 6 was a "peaceful protest," which is how some conservative voices previously described the riot.

"Telling me that it was a peaceful protest? I was there. I was there when they pushed those gates and those officers and when they stepped on my head," she told Phillip. "I mean I'm so tired of narrative that they're putting out there. That's why I speak out, because I have all the receipts. I was there. I know what happened that day and I hold Trump totally responsible."