Pardon them for what? Jack Smith would have loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, to charge trump with insurrection. If there had been even a sliver of flimsy evidence that could be construed as insurrection Smith would have charged Trump with it. That Smith didn't charge Trump with insurrection speaks volumes. There was no insurrection. The J6 defendents are being railroaded by fascists.
It was a protest that got out of hand. Only liars and dumb motherfuckers call it an insurrection.