A former Arlington firefighter is among the more than 1,500 people granted pardons under President Donald Trump’s sweeping decision yesterday (Monday).
Brian Holmes, who was accused of assaulting police officers while attempting to enter the U.S. Capitol in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, falls under a blanket pardon Trump issued shortly after being sworn in as president.
A White House proclamation directs the U.S. Attorney General “to pursue dismissal with prejudice to the government of all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct related to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
Holmes had pleaded not guilty in federal court last month. His next court hearing was scheduled for Feb 3, records show.
The White House announced the release of the first two January 6 prisoners last night.
On Sunday, Holmes’ attorney — Stanley Woodward, who has represented several people accused of participating in the Jan. 6 attack — filed a motion to withdraw as counsel in the case so that he could serve on the White House’s legal team, according to court records.
Wearing a gray hoodie with a Virginia Tech University logo and red sneakers, Holmes was identified as part of a group of people who overran a police line and advanced up the northwest stairs outside of the Capitol, according to an FBI affidavit.
As one police officer attempted to prevent a rioter from advancing up the stairs, Holmes is believed to have grabbed the officer in an attempt to pull him into the crowd, the affidavit alleged.
Holmes, described as “#greypuller,” was also seen gesturing to rioters and taunting police officers, according to court documents. The affidavit also references an interaction between Holmes and a different officer, which was captured on the officer’s body camera.
“Are you ready to speak Chinese?” Holmes reportedly said.“Because that’s what’s going to happen, that’s what’s going to happen if you let these motherf–kers steal this election.”
The attack, which lasted roughly five hours, was reportedly an attempt to prevent a joint session of the U.S. Congress from counting Electoral College votes to declare Joe Biden the president-elect.
Holmes was off duty from his job as a firefighter/EMT at the Arlington County Fire Department on Jan. 6, but later returned to work on Jan. 11. He was no longer employed by the department by April 2023 after serving “more than six years among Arlington’s bravest,” his attorney told the Washington Post.
A West Virginia resident, Holmes was arrested and charged in September. He pleaded not guilty to the six charges on Dec. 2, and was scheduled to appear in D.C. federal court on Feb. 3.
The decision to issue the blanket pardon aligns with the beliefs conveyed by Trump following the event, which started as a Trump-led “Save America” rally before attendees began walking to the Capitol.
In Nov. 2023, Trump referred to those incarcerated over the event as “hostages, not prisoners,” during a campaign event in Texas, while previously referring to Jan. 6 defendants as “great patriots.”
Trump told TIME last month that taking action regarding Jan. 6 defendants would be among his first priorities in office.
“It’s going to start in the first hour,” Trump said at the time. “Maybe the first nine minutes.”
