Proud Boys leader Joseph Biggs has said he believes “with all my heart” that Donald Trump will pardon him in an online interview in which he also complained about the food in prison.
The U.S. Army veteran was sentenced to 17 years in prison earlier this week for his involvement in the January 6 riot at the Capitol in 2021. During his sentencing, Biggs praised former president Trump.
He and fellow Proud Boys leader Zachary Rehl were the first connected to the group to be sentenced over the deadly insurrection in Washington D.C. Their ally Enrique Tarrio is due to be sentenced next week.
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According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Proud Boys is a hate group that was founded by VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes in 2016.
While speaking on the Alex Jones Show from jail via Skype, Biggs explained he held out hope the former president would pardon him if he won the 2024 presidential election.
He said: “They want to send a message to Americans that if you go to these events, if you are part of a political group, they’re going to throw you in prison for a long time. They want you scared.
“They don’t want you to go out and vote, they want people scared before it’s time to vote and that’s why all this heat’s happening right now. You know, this is ridiculous. We went there that day with no plan, with nothing. We were there like every other American but it’s because we’re a political group.”
He later added: “The food (in prison) is horrible. You can’t eat the food here. It is not edible in any kind of way.”
When asked by Jones whether he expected Trump to pardon him, Biggs said: “Oh, I know he’ll pardon. I believe that with all my heart.”
Trump has previously pardoned his supporters and associates including Roger Stone and George Papadopoulos.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colombia, as of August 6 more than 1,106 people had been charged in connection with the riot at the Capitol.
The jailing of the Capitol rioters has drawn fire from Republicans who called the sentencing harsh.
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene likened Biggs’ sentence to legal consequences for child molesters.
She also said that all those charged over their actions on January 6 should be pardoned as “they’ve been persecuted enough.” Greene previously questioned how many Black Lives Matter “rioters” have been jailed over the protests prompted by the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Newsweek has contacted Trump’s team for comment via email.