The narrative that J6 was “not an insurrection” is a pervasive lie and those who fall for it are falling for far-right propaganda. And now the convicted seditionists have been pardoned, vindicated.

The success of the seditious conspiracy charges a couple of years ago was a really important moment because the government had made up for the mistakes that they made in 1988. For the first time, arguably since the Civil War, the United States government had proven without question that groups that organize against the government on behalf of white supremacist and anti-government ideologies were attempting to overthrow the government. And that was a significant deal, not just legally, but also in terms of deterrence and building a democratic norm against violence. All of that has now been destroyed.