Pardoned January 6 Proud Boy Leader Considers Run for Congress: 'I Want to Be in That Building They Accused Me' of Storming

Fresh off a pardon from President Donald Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6th Capitol Insurrection, former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio is plotting a run for Congress.

"If I do run, I want to be in that building that they accused me of trying to storm," Tarrio said.

Tarrio, 42, was serving a 22-year sentence, the longest of any January 6 defendant, before being granted clemency. Prosecutors painted him as a key orchestrator of the Capitol riot despite his reported absence that day.

"Tarrio, who was monitoring the attack from afar as it unfolded, posted encouraging messages to his tens of thousands of social media followers," the Justice Department said.

Now, back in Miami, he is weighing a political future and the future of the Proud Boys.

"Most of those ideas that I wrote down were ideas outside of the realm of politics. But now looking at things, I love what I do, so I think I'm gonna continue to do that in some capacity," he said in an interview with Miami New Times. "Is it activism? Is it trying to get elected? I don't know what it means yet."

A bid for office wouldn't be his first. Tarrio ran for Florida's 27th Congressional District back in 2020 but withdrew before the Republican primary. This time, he's eyeing Florida's 1st Congressional District, as Rep. Matt Gaetz has opted not to run for re-election.

While Proud Boys is a designated authoritarian, ultranationalist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Tarrio has insisted the group did nothing wrong on January 6.

"There's absolutely nothing I will apologize for, because I did nothing wrong," he declared at a recent press conference.

The group is known for violence and harassment and embraces misogynistic, anti-immigrant, Islamophobic, anti-LGBTQ+, antisemitic, and white supremacist ideologies.

Despite fractures among the Proud Boys' 72 chapters, Tarrio says he has broad support.

"Moving forward, we're never going to state the structure, how it works, or any of that," he said. "But I know that most of the guys support me."

Yet, a court recently ruled that a Black-led Washington, D.C. church once targeted by the group now controls its name and branding—stripping the Proud Boys of its ability to profit off any merchandise.

Whether Tarrio will formally launch a campaign remains to be seen.