Trump's Trials - Trump is trying to rewrite the history of the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol

Episode Date: August 8, 2025

President Trump has tried to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In the latest example, the Department of Justice hired a former Jan. 6 defendant who urged rioters to "kill" police.Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to Trump's Terms from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow. We're going to be doing all sorts of things. Nobody ever thought was even possible. President Trump has brought back string to the White House. We can't just ignore the president's desires. This will be an entirely different country in a short period of time. Every episode of Trump's terms, we bring you NPR's latest coverage of the 47th president.

With a focus on actions and policies he is pursuing on his own terms and in the process, taking the presidency into uncharted territory. Today's story starts right after this. There is so much happening in politics in any given week. You might need help putting it all in perspective. As your week draws to a close, join the NPR Politics Podcast team for our weekly roundup. Here are best political reporters zoom into the biggest stories of the week. Not just what they mean, but what they mean for you, all in under 30 minutes. Listen to the weekly roundup every Friday on the NPR Politics podcast.

I'm Steve Inskeep. NPR is still here and still revealing stories we would not otherwise learn. That includes the story of one federal law enforcement official. Video, uncovered by NPR news, shows this man taking part in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He taunts police and urges rioters to, quote, kill him. During one of his first acts in office, President Trump moved to end the case against this man and hired him at the U.S. Justice Department. NPR has published that police body cam video. You can see it online.

And our investigative correspondent, Tom Dreisbach, is here. Tom, good morning. Good morning, Steve. Who is the Capitol Riot defendant? So his name is Jared Wise. And before January 6th, he actually served as an FBI agent himself for 13 years. He retired. He came to Washington, D.C., to support Trump on January 6th.

And he ended up entering the building through a door that was busted open by other rioters. He exited through a broken window. Stayed on Capitol grounds, though. and at 4.21 p.m., about two hours after the Capitol was breached, the body cam video we obtained shows him going up to a police line and berating officers. First, he calls them Nazis. You're disgusting. You are the Nazi. You are the Gestapofer and you can't see it. Then when violence breaks out and other rioters start attacking, he yells, kill him, kill him.

Okay, so that's the video, which you can see at NPR.org. What was he charged with and what did he say in his defense? Well, he was charged with trespassing on Capitol grounds, disorderly conduct, and aiding and abetting that assault on police. He pleaded not guilty, actually took the stand at his own trial, and we got the transcript. He admitted entering the Capitol, even though he said it was probably obvious in his words he should not have. He admitted calling the cops Nazis. He said because he believed they were using excessive force. And he admitted saying kill him, kill him.

But he testified that he did not mean it. He said he did not want anyone to die. The trial was set to go to a jury in January, but then Donald Trump took office, ordered it dismissed as part of the mass pardons he gave to January 6th defendants. And those partons also covered the most violent defendants who were responsible for the 140 injuries to police officers that day. So what is Jared Wise doing now that Trump has hired him for the Justice Department? Well, the department did not answer our specific questions. They issued a statement calling him a valued member of the team. We have seen records indicating that he's a senior.

your advisor and sources say he's been working on the review of alleged weaponization of law enforcement allegedly by Democrats. Oh, that's very interesting. So how does this fit into the broader scope of the reporting you've been doing on pardoning January 6th defendants and so forth? Right. The administration really has taken a slew of actions on January 6th. And they're in keeping with the president's claim that January 6th was not an act of domestic terrorism, which is what the previous FBI said. It's what he calls a, quote, day of love. and his view that supporters, his supporters, who were convicted of crimes, were political prisoners. The Justice Department, under his watch, has fired dozens of prosecutors who worked on January 6th cases.

They paid a $5 million or nearly $5 million to settle a wrongful death suit brought by the family of Ashley Babbitt, a woman who was shot and killed while storming the Capitol. Earlier, the department had said that shooting was justified to protect police and members of Congress. And two former defendants even got a White House tour, we reported. One of them was convicted of assaulting cops, and he used a tomahawk to smash a capital window. Trump's pardon released him from prison, and he said he was proud that he got to go from the big house to the White House. NPR's Tom Dreisbach. Thanks so much. Thank you.

Before we wrap up a reminder, you can find more coverage of the Trump administration on the NPR Politics Podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news. with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks, as always, to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR.

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