A Navy veteran who confessed to consuming wine he discovered during the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol has renounced President Donald Trump and is now seeking to officially reject the presidential pardon granted to over 1,500 rioters.
“I caused a lot of pain by being there. I hurt many people along the way, I said a lot of awful things,” Jason Riddle disclosed to WMUR. “I have to acknowledge that reality, and part of that is not accepting any kind of pardon or forgiveness from Trump that denies that reality, because if you do that, I’m right back where I started.”
Riddle, a resident of New Hampshire, revealed to ABC News earlier this year that he was struggling with alcohol at the time of the riot and was “fixated on Trump.”
Images from the insurrection depict Riddle taking a selfie with a bottle of wine he found in a refrigerator and holding a red book he stole from the Office of the Senate Parliamentarian. He departed the scene upon the arrival of a police officer.
“I clearly was fixated on Trump. I was mentally being held captive by something that was draining me,” Riddle informed WMUR.
He served a 90-day jail sentence and was on probation when Trump issued the broad pardon, which Riddle initially did not want. He has since joined Leaving MAGA, a support group for individuals who have left, or wish to leave, the Trump supporter base.
In a blog post featured on the group’s website, Riddle stated that his realization occurred in March 2023, when Trump urged his supporters to protest against his imminent indictment for falsifying business records.
“I told myself, ‘Trump doesn’t know you, and the fact that you’re even considering his feelings shows you have an unhealthy obsession. And you’re foolish for believing he cares,’” Riddle wrote.
Riddle mentioned that he severed ties with his Republican friends. As part of his probation terms, he had to undergo a Breathalyzer test twice a day, which he stated was crucial for him to finally get sober.
“It is thanks to those consequences I now have a happy and productive life,” Riddle told WMUR.
Nevertheless, Riddle requires assistance from lawmakers to formally decline Trump’s pardon, as per WMUR. Sen. Maggie Hassan’s (D-N.H.) office confirmed to the outlet that they have contacted the federal pardon office on Riddle’s behalf.
“This was a terrible event, and I deserve to be imprisoned, as does Donald Trump. He still deserves to be imprisoned for instigating that. I believe maybe one day he will,” Riddle remarked.
