Trump's Jan. 6 pardons don't cover Capitol rioter who plotted to kill FBI agents, DOJ says
The sweeping pardons that President Donald Trump granted to Jan. 6 rioters in his first day back in office do not apply to a Capitol rioter who was separately convicted by a federal jury in Tennessee of plotting to murder FBI agents who investigated his actions at the Capitol, Justice Department prosecutors told a federal court Tuesday.
WASHINGTON — The sweeping pardons that President Donald Trump granted to Jan. 6 rioters in his first day back in office do not apply to a Capitol rioter who was separately convicted by a federal jury in Tennessee of plotting to murder FBI agents who investigated his actions at the Capitol, Justice Department prosecutors told a federal court Tuesday.
Edward Kelley was the fourth rioter to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and was convicted of assaulting law enforcement and other charges after a trial in Washington last year in which the FBI alleged that he was armed with a handgun when he breached the Capitol. Kelley was then separately convicted by a federal jury in Tennessee of conspiracy to murder employees of the United States, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing or retaliating against federal officials by threat.
Prosecutors wrote that Kelley "devised a plan to murder federal, state, and local law enforcement in East Tennessee."
The Justice Department said evidence at trial showed Kelley developed a “kill list” of FBI special agents and others who investigated his conduct. “Every hit has to hurt,” Kelley said to a co-conspirator, according to DOJ. “Every hit has to hurt.”
Edward Kelley at the Capitol on Jan.6, 2021.U.S. District CourtKelley was among the more than 1,500 defendants who were pardoned by Trump on Jan. 20 for their actions during the Capitol attack. Kelley was the fourth rioter to breach the Capitol, and then helped breach a fire escape door, allowing the mob to flood inside, according to prosecutors.
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