Mike Pence had just one answer for the Jan. 6 rioter bold enough to reject Trump’s pardon

Former Vice President Mike Pence has reached out to a January 6 rioter who made headlines for rejecting President Donald Trump’s pardon.

Pam Hemphill, known as “MAGA Granny” after her arrest, received a personal letter from Pence praising her decision to turn down the presidential pardon. According to reports, Hemphill was among the rioters who entered the Capitol on January 6, 2021. She was arrested at her home in Boise, Idaho, several months later. Federal investigators presented evidence, including photos, videos, and social media posts, showing her plans to attend the protest in Washington, D.C, and her presence inside the Capitol building that day.

The Idaho woman was charged with four criminal counts but pleaded guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. As part of her plea deal, she apologized for “everything I said and did at the Capitol.” Prosecutors dropped the three remaining charges. She was sentenced to 60 days in prison, 36 months’ probation, and ordered to pay $500 in restitution. She served her prison time at a federal women’s prison in Dublin, California, in July and August 2022.

Hemphill’s views on Trump began to change while she was behind bars

According to Hemphill, she started questioning her support for Trump while in prison. She completely reversed her view on him and the events of January 6 several months after her release. In June 2023, when Trump called her sentence “HORRIBLE!” on Truth Social, she pushed back against him. She wrote, “Please @realDonaldTrump don’t be using me for anything, I’m not a victim of Jan6, I pleaded guilty because I was guilty!” She also added a “#StopTheSpin” hashtag.

After Trump won the 2024 election and issued sweeping pardons for January 6 rioters on his first day in office, despite his campaign promises distancing himself from controversial policies, Hemphill rejected her pardon. She said accepting it “would be a slap in the face to the Capitol Police officers, the rule of law.” She repeated her earlier stance, saying, “I pleaded guilty because I was guilty.” She also said accepting the pardon would help Trump’s narrative that January 6 was a peaceful protest, which she strongly disagreed with.

Hemphill continued speaking out against the narrative that January 6 was peaceful and that the rioters were victims of a weaponized justice system. She even reached out to Senator James Risch of Idaho to help her get formal certification from the Department of Justice that she was rejecting the pardon. Her stance caught the attention of Mike Pence, who was presiding over the Electoral College vote certification when the attack began. 

Pence was evacuated by the Secret Service as rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” after Trump tweeted that his vice president “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.” This moment highlighted how Pence chose the Constitution over Trump’s demands, something he has repeatedly stood by. Pence sent Hemphill a letter expressing his respect for her decision. She proudly shared a photo of the letter on social media, writing, “It’s been a long and hard journey, but this letter I received today has made every heartache, smear campaign, and sleepless night more than worth it!”