MA Congressman Keating Skips Trump Inaguration

MASSACHUSETTS — Many current and former politicians were in Washington on Monday for President Donald Trump's inauguration.

One person notably absent is sitting Massachusetts Rep. Bill Keating, who said he skipped the meeting in protest of Trump's "promise to pardon those who committed crimes at the Capitol on January 6, 2021."

Read Keating's full statement below:

"As someone who comes from a family of police officers and served over a decade upholding the rule of law as a District Attorney, I will not be attending the inauguration this year.

I attended President Trump's first inauguration, and I respect that he won the 2024 election. However, I cannot condone his Inauguration Day promise to pardon those who committed crimes at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. My decision to not attend the inauguration is out of respect for the men and women of the Capitol Police who were attacked at the very site of the inauguration itself while protecting Members of Congress and the peaceful transfer of power.

Of the more than 1,200 individuals charged in the wake of January 6, the Department of Justice charged 452 with crimes against police, including 123 who were charged with using a deadly weapon against a police officer. 140 officers were assaulted on January 6, and five officers died in the days and weeks that followed. Since then, hundreds of those charged have recognized their crimes and pleaded guilty, and juries have convicted hundreds more.

Regardless of my attendance at the inauguration, I remain committed to delivering for the people of Southeastern Massachusetts and will work across the aisle with my colleagues and with the incoming administration whenever possible."

ABC News was the first outlet to report Trump was planning to pardon people charged with crimes relating to Jan. 6, and planned to shorten sentences for those who attacked police. The president formalized that promise later that day.

Trump was sworn in as the 47th president Monday, promising a "revolution of common sense" and taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country's institutions. He pledged to "completely and totally reverse" the actions of his predecessor.

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