DORAL, Fla. – Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio held a press conference Friday afternoon at Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine in Doral, just days after returning to South Florida following his pardon by President Donald Trump.
Tarrio’s pardon was part of a sweeping clemency order that freed over 1,500 people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Tarrio, a Miami native, spoke candidly about his feelings on the pardon, his experience in federal custody, and the broader implications of the Jan. 6 prosecutions.
“I’m not going to condone violence, but the process — it wasn’t about what they did,” Tarrio said. “It was about the process, how we went to trial, and how the Department of Justice prosecuted these cases. They allowed for biased juries and admitted evidence that wouldn’t be tolerated in any other district.”
“When you report inaccurately or call us fascists, every time your colleagues or yourself do that you demonize us,” Tarrio added.
“I didn’t call this news conference just for me. I called because of the corrupt DOJ and whether you think I am right or wrong, I do hold media responsible for some of that,” he said.
Tarrio described his reaction to Trump’s clemency order, saying he celebrated with “half of America.”
However, he stopped short of fully endorsing the actions of Jan. 6 rioters.
“I never said I condemn anything. I’m not God, and I don’t agree with everything that happened. But the pardon wasn’t about their actions — it was about the miscarriage of justice.”
While reflecting on his own actions when the Jan. 6 Capitol attack occurred, Tarrio said, “I was just some dude eating tacos in a hotel room smoking cigarettes. That is what I was doing on January 6.”
He also confirmed to Local 10′s Christina Vazquez that he had posted on Parler, writing under the handle @NobleLead, “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny… When the government fears the people… There is liberty.”
“I want accountability, and I want focus on accountability for those who did this to us,” said Tarrio.
Vazquez responded, “There will be some in our country who hear that and think it is dramatic irony since you just escaped accountability when you were pardoned after a jury of your peers — not the DOJ, a jury of your peers were the fact finders in the case, are the ones who convicted you.”
Tarrio disputed the fairness of the trial.
“First of all, it wasn’t a jury of my peers; it was people honestly who hated my guts. They knew who I was,” Tarrio said. “They were asked if they could set their feelings aside and judge this case, my case, by the facts given alone. You know what some of the jurors who were seated said? No. They couldn’t. Then those jurors were rehabilitated and sat on my case.”
When Vazquez asked further questions on how some Americans might view his calls for accountability as ironic, Tarrio offered his perspective.
“Well, the two things I would like to say to that is maybe those people should now focus on the real problem,” Tarrio said. “Maybe they should become advocates for actual justice across the board. And two, elections have consequences.”
Tarrio did not shy away from admitting his stance on the violence that unfolded. “Absolutely, I posted that. And I would post it again. Did I celebrate it? Absolutely.”
Tarrio recounted his time in federal custody, alleging inhumane treatment. He claimed he was restrained in “box cuffs” — a restrictive device — for 26 ½ hours, far exceeding the four-hour limit he said is considered safe.
“It felt like a medieval torture device,” Tarrio said, adding that he had to urinate in a Gatorade bottle while being transported in a moving van at some point during his sentence while in box cuffs.
“We are weighing our options on who to sue,” Tarrio added. “There was a major violation of human rights.”
“As of yesterday, we were advised that the charges are being discussed by the Supreme Court and they will be dismissed,” said Nayib Hassan, Tarrio’s attorney.
A Local 10 News crew was at MIA on Wednesday when Tarrio returned home. Reporter Liane Morejon was the only reporter to speak with Tarrio from the moment he got off his Southwest Airlines flight.
Tarrio On The Proud Boys and Future Plans
Tarrio described the Proud Boys not just as an organization but as an “idea.”
He said the group stands for pro-American values, free speech, the Second Amendment, and family--something I learned from my mom. “We will never end,” he said emphatically.
He also addressed accusations of racism and fascism leveled at the group, saying, “Every time you call us fascists or racists, it dehumanizes us.”
Tarrio shared his focus on coming home and reuniting with his family, saying he hasn’t decided on his next steps.
“I would love a job with the Trump administration,” Tarrio said, “but I don’t think that’s realistic.”
Recalling Jan. 6
Tarrio, who was not at the Capitol during the insurrection, maintained he was unaware his followers had breached the building.
“I can’t take credit for something I didn’t do,” he said.
Tarrio expressed sympathy for the families of the five individuals who died on the day of the attack.
He also defended his group’s focus on local issues, including opposition to school board policies.
“Agree with us or not, we might do things differently,” Tarrio said. “But the issues we have with some of these school boards is that there’s an indoctrination of our children, and that’s something we’re always going to fight for.”
Trump’s Clemency Order
Trump’s decision to pardon all individuals charged in the Jan. 6 attack has drawn sharp criticism.
On Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed it had released over 200 people in its custody for related crimes, including those convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers. Judges have also dismissed dozens of pending cases.
The former leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, who were convicted of seditious conspiracy in the most serious cases brought by the Justice Department, were both released from prison hours after Trump signed the clemency order.
Stewart Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, was serving an 18-year prison sentence, and Tarrio was serving a 22-year sentence.
With Trump’s clemency, Tarrio said he hopes to move forward. “I just want to focus on coming home and being reunited with my family,” he said. “They took three years of my life. I love my country but I’m unapologetic. I can’t regret things I didn’t do.”
Local 10 viewers can watch Tarrio’s full press conference in the video below.