Elderly Grandma Rejects Trump’s January 6 Capitol Pardon


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Rebecca Lavrenz, a 72-year-old grandmother convicted of misdemeanor charges related to the January 6 Capitol riot, has declined a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, choosing instead to pursue her appeal through the legal system.

Lavrenz, who received a one-year probation sentence including six months of home confinement without internet access and a $103,000 fine in August, was among more than 1,500 January 6 defendants pardoned by Trump on Monday. Her decision to reject the pardon stems from her determination to overturn her convictions on First Amendment grounds and prevent her case from establishing legal precedent.

“I had no intention of being where I am today, but when the public of the United States, we the people of America, see a 72-year-old grandmother, great grandmother, with an ankle monitor on, banned from the Internet, can’t get out of her house except on certain hours of the week, then that wakes them up, and they say, ‘If this could happen to her, then what would happen to me?'” she explained to KOAA News5.

Her attorney, David McDivitt, confirmed that Lavrenz has the legal right to decline the presidential pardon and can continue with her appeal process.

According to Lavrenz’s account, she entered the Capitol Building peacefully through the East Rotunda doors and remained inside for approximately ten minutes. She maintains that the doors were opened from within and believes she was following divine guidance.

“I got this thought, and I know it was from the Lord, and he said, ‘Rebecca, if those barriers come down and the doors open, I want you to carry my presence into the Capitol,'” she stated.

“I didn’t touch anything,” Lavrenz continued. “I was swept up with the crowd. It was like a big rush going into the Capitol. There on the video, Capitol footage, video, there’s a gentleman, a police officer, right beside me, almost like a door greeter at Walmart, just saying hi to me, and I was just talking to him. He never told me to leave the building. And so I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I really didn’t.”

The pardons align with Trump’s campaign promises to grant clemency to January 6 defendants. After issuing the pardons, which he described as “full, complete and unconditional,” Trump criticized the federal government’s handling of these cases.

“What they’ve done to these people is outrageous,” Trump declared Monday evening. “We hope they come out tonight. Frankly, they’re expecting it.”