Donald Trump calls for the release of hundreds of his supporters arrested in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot

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Donald Trump calls for the release of hundreds of his supporters arrested in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot
A trailer for a documentary that centers on Trump and January 6 was released by Discovery Plus.Seth Herald/Getty Images
  • Donald Trump called for the release of those arrested in connection with the Capitol riot.
  • He called for them to be treated "fairly" and said, "let them all go now!"
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Former President Donald Trump called for the release of those arrested in connection with the Capitol riot.

"Start treating the January 6th protestors [sic] fairly. Let them all go now!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday.

Trump has previously spoken about what he perceives as the "unfair" treatment of those jailed and has repeatedly suggested that he would pardon them if re-elected.

Earlier this year, Trump revealed that he is "financially supporting" some January 6 defendants.

More than 900 people have so far been charged in connection with the insurrection on January 6, 2021, during which a pro-Trump mob stormed inside the Capitol building in a bid to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.

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The former president made the comment amid a lengthy statement about his former advisor Tom Barrack being acquitted on charges of lobbying for a foreign government.

Trump said that the verdict "greatly set the Radical Left back" and listed various examples of what he framed as right-wing injustices.

Donald Trump calls for the release of hundreds of his supporters arrested in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot
Then-US President Donald Trump greets the crowd at the "Stop The Steal" Rally on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Along with the January 6 rioters, he also called for the release of Catherine Englebrecht and Gregg Phillips, the leaders of the vote-monitoring organization True the Vote, that were arrested this week.

The pair, who have fuelled debunked conspiracy theories about voter fraud, were jailed after refusing to reveal the identity of a person of interest in a defamation case against them.

Trump also listed several of his legal and political troubles, including the FBI's raid on Mar-a-Lago and his two impeachments, which he called "phony hoaxes and scams."

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The former president currently faces a series of investigations and lawsuits, including his alleged mishandling of sensitive documents and efforts to overturn the US election.

Trump has continually hinted that he plans to run again in 2024, and sources told The New York Times that he is likely to announce his third campaign soon.

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