No. of Recommendations: 8
One of the people who served jail time for taking part in the US Capitol riot four years ago has refused a pardon from President Donald Trump, saying: "We were wrong that day."
Pamela Hemphill, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in prison, told the BBC that there should be no pardons for the riot on 6 January 2021.
"Accepting a pardon would only insult the Capitol police officers, rule of law and, of course, our nation," she said.
"I pleaded guilty because I was guilty, and accepting a pardon also would serve to contribute to their gaslighting and false narrative."
Hemphill, who was nicknamed the "Maga granny" by social media users - in reference to Trump's "make America great again" slogan - said she saw the Trump government as trying to "rewrite history and I don't want to be part of that".
"We were wrong that day, we broke the law - there should be no pardons," she told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme.
[Trump's pardons have] drawn an uneasy reaction from some Republican politicians.
Senator Thom Tillis, from North Carolina, said he "just can't agree" with the move, adding that it "raises legitimate safety issues on Capitol Hill".
Another Republican US senator, James Lankford from Oklahoma, told CNN: "I think we need to continue to say we are a party of law and order."
He added: "I think if you attack a police officer, that's a very serious issue and they should pay a price for that."
Hemphill is absolutely right.
And Tillis and Lankford must now be punished for opposing Dear Leader.
