Trump pardons Jan. 6 defendant for separate gun offense, releasing him from prison
WASHINGTON– President Donald Trump granted a second pardon to a defendant on Jan. 6 who remained behind bars despite granting a blanket pardon to the Capitol rioters because of a separate conviction for illegal gun possession.
The move is the latest example of Trump’s willingness to use his constitutional authority to help his supporters who once tried to keep him in power despite his defeat to President Joe Biden in 2020.
Daniel Edwin Wilson, of Louisville, Kentucky, was under investigation for his role in the riot when authorities found six guns and approximately 4,800 rounds of ammunition in his home. Due to his prior felony convictions, it was illegal for him to possess firearms.
The charges are part of a legal debate over whether Trump’s pardons for the Jan. 6 rioters applied to other crimes uncovered during the sweeping federal dragnet that began after the Capitol attack. The Trump-appointed federal judge who oversaw Wilson’s case criticized the Justice Department earlier this year for arguing that the Jan. 6 presidential pardons applied to Wilson’s gun offense.
Wilson, who was expected to remain in prison until 2028, was released Friday evening following his pardon, his lawyer said Saturday.
“We are grateful that President Trump recognized the injustice in my client’s case and granted him this pardon,” attorney George Pallas said in an email. “Mr. Wilson can now reunite with his family and begin to rebuild his life.”
A White House official said Saturday that “because the search of Mr. Wilson’s home was due to the events of January 6, and they should never have been there in the first place, President Trump is pardoning Mr. Wilson for the gun-related issues.” The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Wilson was sentenced in 2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to obstruct or injure police officers and illegal possession of firearms in his home.
Prosecutors had accused him of planning the Jan. 6 riots for weeks and coming to Washington in an effort to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Authorities said he communicated with members of the far-right extremist group Oath Keepers and supporters of the anti-government Three Percenters movement as he marched toward the Capitol.
Prosecutors cited messages they said showed Wilson’s “plans anticipated a broader American civil war.” In a November 9, 2020 post, he wrote, “I’m willing to do anything. It’s done, I’ve made my decision. I understand the tip of the spear won’t be easy. I’m willing to sacrifice myself if necessary. Whether that means prison or death.”
Wilson said during his sentencing that he regretted entering the Capitol that day, but that he “got involved with good intentions.”
The Justice Department initially argued in February that Trump’s pardons for the Jan. 6 rioters on his first day back at the White House did not extend to Wilson’s gun crime. The department later changed its position, saying it had received “further clarity on the intent of the presidential pardon.”
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, criticized the department’s evolving position and said it was “extraordinary” that prosecutors sought to argue that Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons extended to illegal “contraband” found by investigators during searches related to the Jan. 6 cases.
Politico first reported Wilson’s pardon on Saturday. _____ Megerian reported in West Palm Beach, Florida.
