Rader said he’s not surprised that he and more than 1,500 other Jan. 6 defendants, including 10 Iowans, were cleared of their crimes.
“When you usually get a full pardon, it’s a statement saying they should have never been here in the first place,” Rader said. “It was a wrong, wrongful conviction and prosecution.”
A federal judge sentenced Rader of Sioux City to three months in prison plus three years of probation after he pleaded guilty to illegally entering the U.S. Capitol. Rader spent another 45 days behind bars on a probation violation.
"I've already served my time, my case is resolved, but to see all the other guys come out last night, walking out in droves, and that's what I was really happy for,” Rader said. “You know, some have been in there for four years.”
Even before the presidential pardon, Rader claimed he didn’t break the law.
“I walked in, picked up some glass and walked out; I wasn’t even thinking about going in to destroying something. But I'm a capitalist, I saw an opportunity. I thought, ‘Wow, that glass will be worth some money someday,’” Rader said. “Someone asked me, ‘Why'd you plead guilty?’ I said, ‘Well because that case was lost before it ever began.’ There was no way anybody would get a fair trial in the District of Columbia. It's all Democratic, and mainly a deep state.”
Some of the other Iowans pardoned by Trump include Doug Jensen, who was convicted of leading a mob through the Capitol, and Kyle Young, who assaulted a police officer guarding the building.
Conspiracy theories surround what Rader believed happened in and around the U.S. Capitol on the day Congress tried to certify the 2020 election. He claims people with connections to the FBI posed as Trump supporters and broke windows. Video footage disputes any false claims about government involvement during the melee.
Rader called his life “colorful,” filled with harsh realities and redemption before he said everything bottomed out again in the aftermath of Jan. 6.
“It's no secret that I lived a criminal lifestyle, full of addiction, but I had actually changed. I was on a real positive path.” Rader said. “I cleaned up, wrote a book and I was on my way to turning myself into a productive member of society. And the Capitol flipped it all back around.”
Rader said he plans to participate in a $50 billion class action lawsuit against the Department of Justice.
“I'm not gonna settle for anything other under seven digits. I want to be compensated because I went through some hell,” Rader said. “I know the truth about Trump and what's really going on, and one day, the world will too.”
Here are the other Iowans convicted or charged with crimes related to the storming of the Capitol who were pardoned by Trump:
Doug Jensen
Doug Jensen of Des Moines was found guilty of leading a mob through the Capitol and chasing a Capitol police officer up a staircase. He was seen in a widely published Associated Press photo from Jan. 6 wearing a QAnon shirt and confronting police.
Kyle Young
Kyle Young of Redfield was convicted of assaulting a D.C. police officer who was guarding the Capitol. Investigators say Young held the officer’s arm. Another rioter used a taser on the officer multiple times.
Deborah Sandoval
Deborah Sandoval of Des Moines pleaded guilty to going into the Capitol through a door that was forced open by others.
Jason Herold Curl
Jason Herold Curl, Sandoval’s fiancée, also pleaded guilty to illegally entering the Capitol. He was seen on video urging other rioters on, and spent around 20 minutes inside the building.
Salvador Sandoval
Salvador Sandoval of Ankeny, Deborah Sandoval’s son, was found guilty of forcing his way into the Capitol rotunda. Sandoval was seen on video pushing a D.C. police officer and trying to take a riot shield.
Chad Heathcote
Chad Heathcote of Adel, pleaded guilty in November 2022 to a misdemeanor of parading, demonstrating or picketing in the U.S. Capitol. He initially faced two felonies. He received a sentence of three years probation and 15 days in jail.
Daryl Johnson
Daryl Johnson of St. Ansgar was the first Iowan sentenced. He and his son, Daniel, from Austin, Minn., pleaded guilty to one federal charge of felony civil disorder. Daryl received 30 days in prison. He is currently on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for spying on naked customers at a tanning salon in Clear Lake.
Leo Kelly
Leo Kelly of Cedar Rapids received 30 months after a conviction on seven federal charges. An image released by the AP showed him walking the Senate floor.
Earl Jordan
Earl Jordan of Dickens and his brother Christopher of St. George, Utah, were charged in October with assaulting officers and other federal crimes. The DOJ released several images investigators say showed the brothers in physical confrontations with police officers.
