President Donald Trump pardons January 6 rioter for a SECOND time on an unrelated gun conviction
Donald Trump has pardoned a man involved in the January 6 Capitol riot for a second time after he was convicted of gun charges.
Dan Wilson was given the full and unconditional pardon by the president on Friday, according to Politico, with the new pardon relating to a firearms case in which he pleaded guilty to two felony offenses.
The president had previously pardoned Wilson, a militia member, for his role in the storming of the Capitol earlier this year but he remained in prison for his gun crimes.
In June 2022, law enforcement raided his Kentucky home and seized six unauthorized guns from the address.
Wilson, who identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers and Gray Ghost Partisan Rangers militia, also pleaded guilty for his part in events of January 6.
His lawyers said in a statement to the outlet: ‘Dan Wilson is a good man. After more than 7 months of unjustified imprisonment, he is relieved to be home with his loved ones.
‘This act of mercy not only restores his freedom but also shines a light on the overreach that has divided this nation.’
US District Judge Dabney Friedrich sentenced Wilson to five years behind bars last August relating to the charges.
Wilson, seen here in a gasmask as he entered the Capitol, was pardoned again by the president on Friday
The president had previously pardoned Wilson, a militia member, for his role in the storming of the Capitol earlier this year but he remained in prison for his gun crimes
The Trump administration argued in February that Trump’s January 6 pardon did not cover his firearms conviction.
Weeks after that, the Justice Department u-turned and said that the pardon should apply to his gun crimes, adding that the weapons involved were found during an FBI search relating to the events of January 6.
Friedrich rejected the change in stance, adding that the shift stretched bounds of the original pardon.
An appeals court sided with her also, saying Wilson should remain in prison while he worked on his own appeal.
A White House official told the Daily Mail that the discovery of ‘unauthorized firearms’ would not have happened without the January 6 investigation probing Wilson.
They said: ‘While being investigated for conduct related to January 6 – which President Trump issued a larger pardon for in January – investigators discovered that Mr. Wilson may have owned unauthorized firearms.
‘Because the search of Mr. Wilson’s home was due to the events of January 6, President Trump is pardoning Mr. Wilson for the firearm issues.’
This is a breaking news story.
