Pamela Hemphill

American Capitol rioter

Pamela Hemphill

Occupation| Former substance abuse counselor
Known for| Participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, refusing a pardon from President Donald Trump
Conviction(s)| Demonstrating, picketing or parading in a Capitol building
Criminal penalty| 60 days imprisonment, 36 months probation, $500 restitution

Capture status

| Released

Pamela Hemphill is an American former Trump supporter who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. She was nicknamed the "MAGA Granny" by social media users following the attack.[1]

She was convicted and sentenced in 2022 to 60 days in prison with 36 months of probation and $500 restitution for one count of demonstrating, picketing or parading in a Capitol building, to which she had pleaded guilty. Hemphill is noted for changing her mind on Donald Trump during her time in prison and afterward, as well as for her refusal of a presidential pardon.

## Before the attack

[edit]

Hemphill is a retired substance abuse counselor.[2] She voted in the 2008 election for Barack Obama, the only time she had voted for a Democrat prior to the attack; she has stated that she usually voted for whoever her mostly Republican-supporting family recommended. She voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, though had not been to any of his rallies in person prior to January 6, instead watching them on television.[3] She was involved in the Idaho Statehouse protest in 2020, which had resulted in glass in a door being shattered.[4]

Hemphill was being treated for breast cancer at the time of the riot,[2] having undergone surgery for the condition a few weeks prior.[3] On a Facebook post about her plans to join the January 6 rally, she wrote that "it's a war!"[5] The evening before the attack, Hemphill attended an event hosted by far-right radio host Alex Jones, posting a video of herself there on her YouTube channel, saying "let’s go to the Capitol," and "Don’t worry, Trump’s coming in office."[3]

## January 6 United States Capitol attack

[edit]

Hemphill arrived at the "Stop the Steal" rally on the Ellipse late; she heard from different people that Trump would go to the Capitol with a crowd to protest the certification of votes that would finalize President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. She brought a selfie stick to record the event with her phone.[3]

Hemphill pushed past police lines three times as the attack began. She was filmed asking for assistance from police after being in the crowd, stating that she had "had surgery," before going to the doors of the capital, disobeying the officer who had told her to rest by a gate.[6] She was later seen in the Capitol rotunda, telling fellow rioters to "come on in, come on, have fun… This is your house!"[2] She later stated again that she was hurt, telling officers that she had "40 stitches".[6] She was later escorted out by law enforcement.[2]

### Arrest and trial

[edit]

Eight months after the attack, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrived at her front door in Boise, Idaho,[2] and she was arrested on August 3, 2021.[7]

At her trial in federal court in 2022, prosecutors argued that she had exaggerated an injury to "distract" officers from dealing with more violent protesters.[6] She pleaded guilty to one count of demonstrating, picketing or parading in a Capitol building, and apologized for “everything [she] said and did at the Capitol”.[2] In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped three additional misdemeanor charges.[4] She was sentenced by U.S. District Senior Judge Royce Lamberth[4] on May 24, 2022 to 60 days in prison with 36 months of probation and $500 restitution.[7][2] She served her sentence at a federal prison in Dublin, California, in July and August 2022.[5]

## After incarceration

[edit]

Hemphill has stated that she changed her mind on Trump in April 2023, around the time of her 70th birthday, though began to doubt his election claims during her time in prison.[5] She has credited multiple causes for this change; she participated in discussions about the Capitol riot on Twitter spaces, exposing her to facts about the riot and the 2020 election,[5][3] and her family staged a political intervention which she also said changed her mind on Trump.[6]

In June 2023 Donald Trump responded to a post on Truth Social claiming that Hemphill would have to spend more time in jail than Hunter Biden, writing the word "horrible". She responded on Twitter, "please @realDonaldTrump don’t be using me for anything, I’m not a victim of Jan6, I pleaded guilty because I was guilty! #StopTheSpin". She was interviewed by The Daily Beast, to which she stated that she had broken from "the Trump cult" three months prior.[6] She described herself as an "ex-MAGA Granny" on social media.[5] That September she published an open letter to Congress in which she wrote "I am not a victim of the government, the Justice Department was not weaponized against me, I was a participant who broke the law." Her boyfriend of 12 years left her as a result of her political shift, and she has stated that she received death threats.[3]

Hemphill voted for Joe Biden in the 2024 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary while living in Summerville, South Carolina, though later supported Kamala Harris when Biden withdrew from the election.[3]

Hemphill stated on 13 January 2025, after the 2024 United States presidential election, that she would "refuse a pardon from felon Trump" once he took office, referencing Trump's statement that he would do so. She wrote, "I’m not going to be bullied by MAGA anymore, as those who went as far as calling my Probation Officer trying to get me in trouble backfired on them, thinking I would stop speaking out, just give me more confidence to continue!"[2]

## See also

[edit]

* Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Leurent, Pierrick; Cornet, Wassim (June 24, 2024). "US presidential election: Former 'MAGA Granny' using her voice to speak out against Trump". France 24. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Sommerlad, Joe (January 13, 2025). "Jan 6 rioter Pamela Hemphill says she will refuse Trump's pardon". The Independent. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
3. ^ a b c d e f g Kochi, Sudiksha (August 11, 2024). "She once stormed the Capitol for Trump. Now, she'll be supporting Kamala Harris in November". USA Today. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
4. ^ a b c Boone, Rebecca (May 24, 2022). "Idaho woman gets 2 months jail for U.S. Capitol riot actions". Associated Press. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
5. ^ a b c d e Harvey, Josephine (June 27, 2023). "Convicted Jan. 6 Rioter Tells Trump: Stop 'Using' Me". HuffPost. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
6. ^ a b c d e Graziosi, Graig (June 26, 2023). "Convicted Jan 6 rioter tells Trump to stop misusing her story". The Independent. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
7. ^ a b "District of Columbia | HEMPHILL, Pamela". United States Department of Justice. February 4, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2025.

* v
* t
* e

January 6 United States Capitol attack

Background|

| U.S. Capitol|

* United States Capitol Police
* Harry Dunn
* Michael Fanone
* Eugene Goodman
* Yogananda Pittman
* Steven Sund
* Timeline of prior security incidents

|

Election|

* Previous claims of election fraud by President Trump
* in 2012
* in 2016
* Republican reactions
* 2020–21 presidential election protests
* 2021 Electoral College vote count
* Predictions of violence
* 1776 Returns
* Attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election
* Fake electors plot
* Chesebro memos
* Eastman memos
* Lawsuits
* Texas v. Pennsylvania
* Jeffrey Clark letter

Other|

* Democratic backsliding in the United States
* Michigan State Capitol storming
* Trumpism
* False or misleading statements by Donald Trump
* Conspiracy theories
* Social media use by Donald Trump
* QAnon
* Comparisons between Donald Trump and fascism
* Trump derangement syndrome

Involved|

* Christina Bobb
* Kenneth Chesebro
* Jeffrey Clark
* Joseph diGenova
* John Eastman
* Jenna Ellis
* Rudy Giuliani
* John McEntee
* Mark Meadows
* Cleta Mitchell
* Peter Navarro
* Sidney Powell
* Victoria Toensing
* Jim Troupis
* Donald Trump

Events|

* Planning
* Timeline of attack
* Law enforcement response
* killing of Ashli Babbitt
* Death of Brian Sicknick

Participants|

| Proud Boys|

* Enrique Tarrio
* Joe Biggs
* Ethan Nordean
* Dominic Pezzola

|

Oath Keepers|

* Stewart Rhodes
* Kelly Meggs
* Jeremy Bertino
* Ray Epps
* Roberto Minuta
* Jessica Marie Watkins

Others|

* Richard Barnett
* Jacob Chansley
* Derrick Evans
* Nick Fuentes
* Tim "Baked Alaska" Gionet
* Simone Gold
* Couy Griffin
* Pamela Hemphill
* Alan Hostetter
* Adam Christian Johnson
* Jay Johnston
* Klete Keller
* Carol Kicinski
* Kevin James Lyons
* Doug Mastriano
* Evan Neumann
* Nicholas Ochs
* Matthew Perna
* Rachel Powell
* Chaya "Libs of TikTok" Raichik
* Guy Reffitt
* Dana Rohrabacher
* Rick Saccone
* Ryan Samsel
* Ronald Sandlin
* Jon Schaffer
* Kevin Seefried
* Owen Shroyer
* Peter Francis Stager
* Brandon Straka
* John Earle Sullivan‎‎
* Christopher John Worrell

Aftermath|

* 2021 U.S. inauguration week protests
* Companies that halted political contributions
* Reactions
* domestic
* international
* Second impeachment of Donald Trump
* trial
* Suicides
* Howard Liebengood
* Jeffrey L. Smith
* Proceedings
* Justice Department investigation
* January 6 commission
* House Select Committee
* criminal proceedings
* list
* Fischer v. United States
* public hearings
* Thompson v. Trump
* Smith special counsel investigation
* Federal prosecution of Donald Trump
* Trump v. United States
* Justice for J6 rally
* 2021 Facebook company files leak
* Presidential eligibility of Donald Trump
* Trump v. Anderson

Related|

* Alex Jones
* Ali Alexander
* Kathy Barnette
* Boogaloo movement
* Jericho March
* Groypers
* Sedition Caucus
* Social media use by Donald Trump
* Three Percenters
* Trumpism
* Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol (2021)
* Four Hours at the Capitol (2021)
* This Place Rules (2022)
* "Justice for All" (2023)
* A Storm Foretold (2023)
* The Sixth (2024)
* Democratic backsliding in the United States
* Cincinnati FBI field office attack

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