Washington, Jan 22 (AP) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his decision to pardon people who were charged and convicted of assaulting police officers during the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot, despite having run as an ally of law enforcement.

"I am the friend of police, more than any president who's ever been in this office," he said.

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Trump told reporters at the White House that those he pardoned have already served years in prison, claiming murderers often aren't charged for their crimes.

"We pardoned people who were treated unbelievably poorly," he said.

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Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes connected to the riot on his first day back in office. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)