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Republican county committees to hold event spotlighting Mainer pardoned for January 6th riot

Matthew Brackley, as identified in court documents.
U.S. District Court
Matthew Brackley, as identified in court documents.

Four of the state's Republican county committees will hold an event in Topsham on Saturday featuring a Maine resident pardoned by President Donald Trump for participating in the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

Matt Brackley pleaded guilty last year to one felony count of assaulting, resisting or impeding police officers. He spent four months and 10 days in federal prison before Trump pardoned him and more than 1,500 other people convicted for their involvement in the Jan. 6 riots. Fourteen other Maine residents in addition to Brackley were pardoned.

The Cumberland, York, Lincoln and Sagadahoc county Republican committees will host Brackley during an event being billed as a "Maine patriot story." The event was first reported Friday by the Bangor Daily News.

In an interview on Friday, the Waldoboro resident made clear that he still firmly believes that the 2020 election was stolen by Joe Biden — a view that polls suggest many other Republicans share, despite the fact that courts across the country rejected or dismissed every attempt from the Trump campaign to overturn the election results.

But Brackley expressed some level of regret for joining the mob that entered the Capitol and for his confrontations with police.

"I do think that it was appropriate for American people to protest a fraudulent election," Brackley said. "But if I had to do it all over again, I would not have gone into the Capitol building. I very much believe in law and order ... so if I had to do it over again I would not have gone in any restricted areas and certainly would not have made any contact with any officers, no matter how incidental. But I still would have gone and I still would have protested in a peaceful way."

According to Department of Justice charging documents, Brackley was among the pro-Trump "rioters" who pushed passed U.S. Capitol Police and other officers to enter restricted areas of the building. Brackley and a smaller group eventually made their way toward the Senate chamber before being stopped by officers.

"The officers told Brackley to 'back up' and one officer gave him a small push backwards," reads a statement of facts presented by the Justice Department. "Brackley did not retreat and asked where (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi's office was as others behind him called her name. About 40 seconds into his conversation with the officers, Brackley turned to the crowd behind him and shouted 'Let's go.' He then leaned forward and with both arms pushed through the two officers, leading the crowd behind him toward the Senate Chamber."

The crowd was eventually turned back by a much larger force of Capitol police in riot gear who deployed chemical irritants. According to the Justice Department, Brackley spent more than 40 minutes inside the Capitol. Brackley said on Friday that he "pushed my way through" police but that he did not shove or hurt officers that day.

The attacks temporarily disrupted Congressional proceedings to certify Biden's election. Rioters also caused extensive damage to the Capitol and more than 150 police officers were injured, some seriously as they were crushed by the crowds and attacked with flagpoles, bats and other instruments.

Trump continued to repeat false claims about a "stolen" election leading up to the 2024 election while raising concerns about election integrity. Those concerns largely evaporated, however, after Trump's decisive win over former Vice President Kamala Harris. And Trump quickly followed through with his pledge to pardon or commute the sentences of those convicted in the Jan. 6 riots, including leaders of groups who were convicted of seditious conspiracy.

The disparate attitudes toward the Jan. 6 riots highlights the stark partisan divide in this country. Many on the left still regard participants as insurrectionists who were intent on overturning a fair election while Trump and others on the right often refer to those convicted or charged with crimes as "heroes" or "hostages."

Reaction to Trump's pardons was similarly divided, although members of Maine's congressional delegation largely criticized the president's sweeping action. Independent Sen. Angus King, for instance, called Jan. 6 "a violent insurrection and a dark moment in our nation’s history."

Republican Sen. Susan Collins said: "While I believe some Americans were caught up in the crowd on January 6 and may well deserve the clemency President Trump has given, there is a great difference between violent crimes and non-violent crimes. I do not support pardons given to people who engaged in violence on January 6, including assaulting police officers, or breaking windows to get into the Capitol, for example."

Brian Roy, chairman of the Sagadahoc County Republican Committee, filmed a short video reel for social media with Brackley promoting Saturday's event. In an email on Friday, Roy wrote that he hoped that the event might "further a mutual understanding and perhaps even some healing to all this division."

"It is not our intention to fan flames or sow discord," Roy said. "I am also inclined to think that controversial issues are not to be avoided altogether, but rather approach them with a preparedness to actively listen to one another, and just maybe try to see where the other person is coming from."

Corrected: January 25, 2025 at 10:26 AM EST
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated President Trump defeated former President Biden in the 2024 election. He defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris.