While some have praised Donald Trump for issuing “full, complete and unconditional” pardons for the 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, Pamela Hemphill has pushed back.

Hemphill, who was also arrested on January 6, has refused to accept Trump’s pardon, instead deciding to take responsibility for the role she played in trying to overturn the 2020 election results which made Joe Biden victorious over Trump.

“Absolutely not,” Hemphill, 71, told the Guardian on Thursday.

“It’s an insult to the Capitol police officers and to the rule of law and to the nation. It contributes to the propaganda that it was a peaceful protest, that the DoJ is weaponized against them and against Trump.”

During the Capitol riot, Hemphill said she was pushed down, trampled on, and had her glasses smashed. She credits the Capitol police for saving her life.

Two days later, Hemphill was arrested when the FBI received a tip stating she “planned to and did in fact travel to Washington DC for January 6.”

The tip included screenshots of Facebook posts dated before the attack, in which Hemphill wrote “its a WAR!” and “Happy New Year! On my way to Washington D. C. January 6th!”

Hemphill, who earned the nickname “Maga Granny” in reference to Trump’s Make America great again slogan, reportedly became interested in politics after she retired in 2011. She told the Idaho Statesman that she became connected with Ammon Bundy’s People’s Rights Network online and later began talking with the Proud Boys, a far-right group which played a major role in the attack.

She subsequently attended the January 6 riot alongside the Proud Boys and streamed what she was doing on YouTube. She pleaded guilty in January 2022 and was sentenced to 60 days in prison and three years of probation.

In 2023, Hemphill claims she had a change of heart and parted ways with Maga. The decision to leave what she called “a cult” came after she was blamed by rioters when her video footage of the attack was used as evidence against them.

The backlash from fellow rioters against Hemphill was fierce.

Micki Witthoeft, mother of Ashli Babbitt – the woman who was shot and killed by police at the Capitol – mocked Hemphill on social media, calling her “Pamtifa”, in a reference to the leftwing anti-fascist group Antifa.

Hemphill, who has been sober since 1979 and is now a substance abuse counselor, compared her addiction to alcohol to the Maga ideology. She said undergoing therapy shifted her perspective; she now sees herself as a volunteer, not a victim.

“This Maga cult and these J6 criminals and all their family are very upset that I am bringing the facts when they say something,” Hemphill said.

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“It’s just like working with an alcoholic – when you’re in denial, you get real upset.”

Hemphill even threw her support behind Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, and no longer fears retribution from Trump loyalists.

Alongside her attorney, Hemphill told the Idaho Statesman that she has plans to file a letter of rejection. The outlet notes that the US supreme court ruled in 1833, then later upheld that ruling in 1915, that a recipient has the power to turn down a presidential pardon.

In contrast, the New York Times notes that it is not clear if she can legally reject the pardon and via Mark Osler, a professor at the University of St Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis: “It would be a novel act to file a court case to reject a pardon of a misdemeanor, in part because of the low stakes.”

When asked if she had a message for Trump, Hemphill said: “Other people around you told you the election had not been stolen. You went out anyway, and lied to the world that the election was stolen. But we know it wasn’t and you know it wasn’t.

“Still, you want to continue with your narrative, but we’re going to keep bringing the facts to prove you wrong.”