Jan. 6 Rioter Calls Out Donald Trump for Posting About Her on Truth Social

An Idaho woman, who said she left the "MAGA cult" and pleaded guilty to her involvement in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol siege, told Newsweek that she wants former President Donald Trump and other Republicans to stop using her as "propaganda."

Pam Hemphill, a 70-year-old Boise, Idaho, resident who was sentenced to 60 days in jail, 36 months of probation and fined $500 in restitution for her connection to the riots, called out the MAGA leader over a Sunday night post on his Truth Social platform where he appeared to be lamenting her punishment. Hemphill shot back, saying that she chose to plead guilty because she was.

As Congress met to certify the election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on January 6, 2021, rioters stormed the Capitol building. They breached security and were able to get onto the House floor where many invaded elected officials' office spaces. Hemphill, who said to Newsweek she was at the Capitol to "see what it was all about" and get video but fully admits she broke the law, was trampled by other rioters and needed 40 stitches. She credits the Capitol police for saving her life, even after she was pushed by the mob inside the Capitol building and past the barriers.

Hemphill called January 6 a "terrifying" and "violent" day that she regrets participating in, saying, "Looking back, I should have left. I know that now." In the aftermath of the riots, which resulted in several deaths and hundreds of injuries, Trump was impeached by the House over statements he made during the chaos. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the Capitol riot, which is among the numerous legal battles facing Trump as he campaigns for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Newsweek reached out to Trump representatives via email for comment.

Hemphill was one of more than 950 defendants who have been arrested in connection to the riots, with roughly 480 of those individuals having pleaded guilty to federal charges, according to a DOJ report from earlier this year. The DOJ added that many of those who have pleaded guilty faced or will face incarceration at sentencing.

Trump has been heavily criticized for promising to pardon those convicted if he wins the presidency in 2024, arguing "many of these people are not guilty."

However, Hemphill called out Trump on Twitter, telling the former president to "stop the spin."

Hemphill, whose Twitter bio describes her as an ex-MAGA Granny, told Newsweek in a phone interview that she left the "Trump cult" and is now focusing her efforts on helping "others come out of denial" regarding January 6. She said that she voted for Trump twice, in 2016 and 2020 before she said she realized he was "gaslighting" his supporters.

"Trump supporters are being gaslighted and they're being lied to about everything," she said, adding that family and friends can help MAGA followers "get out" by continuing to present facts.

Trump's Truth Social post that Hemphill has an issue with was in response to another Truth Social user who was comparing Hemphill's 60-day prison sentence to the terms of Hunter Biden's recent plea deal. As part of the deal, the son of President Joe Biden will have to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor counts related to failure to pay past taxes. Legal experts have said that when sentenced, Biden will likely get probation.

In the Truth Social post, user STKOLBEOFPOLAND claimed that Hemphill was given a harsher sentence for "walking inside" the U.S. Capitol than Biden could face for his alleged crimes.

"AMERICAN JUSTICE: 69-Year-Old Grandma with Cancer Given More Prison Time for Walking Inside US Capitol than Hunter Biden for Sharing Classified Documents with Foreign Regimes and Multi-Million Dollar Bribery Schemes. THE GATEWAY PUNDIT," STKOLBEOFPOLAND said in the post.

Trump replied to STKOLBEOFPOLAND, with one word: "horrible."

Hemphill's Twitter post lashing out at Trump has since gone viral, garnering nearly 1,000 comments and more than 15,000 likes as of Monday evening.

"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 said on Twitter with a screenshot of Trump's Truth Social post.

Hemphill, who has a Twitter following of nearly 16,000, is a self-proclaimed citizen journalist, said to Newsweek that she likes to take videos and share them on social media, and that led to her involvement in the Capitol riots.

She said she wants Trump and other MAGA followers to stop using her as propaganda and hopes her story can help other people "see the red flags" as she did and leave the "Trump cult."

"I learned to trust my gut, not social media, not the news, not anybody other than my gut. And my gut told me something is wrong with Trump," Hemphill said of the man she voted for twice. "He's a narcissist. The way he talks to people and about people is a red flag."