Appeals Court: J6 Pardons Don’t Cover Other Crimes

Politico reports:

A federal appeals court has rejected the Justice Department’s claim that President Donald Trump’s pardon of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol is so broad that it sweeps in convictions for illegal possession of weapons five months later.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel split, 2-1, in turning down Kentucky resident Dan Wilson’s bid to avoid reporting back to prison this week to serve the remaining time on his five-year sentence on charges of possessing an unregistered firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Wilson was a member of the mob that stormed the Capitol and was charged with multiple crimes related to his conduct on Jan. 6. During the FBI’s broad criminal probe of the riot, investigators found an arsenal of illegal firearms at his home. The weapons were not connected to his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack.

Read the full article. An appeal to SCOTUS is expected.

Appeals court: Trump pardon ‘plainly’ did not cover Jan. 6 defendants’ unrelated crimes https://t.co/T9Z4FvGCAP

— POLITICO (@politico) April 2, 2025