United States: In a remarkable display of legal overreach, a defendant entwined with the January 6 uprising attempted to argue that a murderous scheme aimed at federal officers should be nullified under President Donald Trump’s expansive clemency for Capitol rioters. But even the Justice Department under Trump’s renewed administration found that a bridge too far. The man, now in his mid-thirties, faces a life-long residence behind steel bars.

Though there was little ambiguity in the application of Trump’s sweeping January 6 clemency order — signed on his first day back in office following the dismissal of his own federal charges after the 2024 election — it did shield Kelley’s convictions in Washington, DC, where he had been found guilty of violently clashing with law enforcement and other Capitol-related offenses.

However, Kelley brazenly attempted to fold in his Tennessee-based charges — a grim conspiracy to assassinate FBI personnel investigating his Capitol-related conduct — under the umbrella of that pardon.

A Judge’s Stern Verdict

On Wednesday, US District Judge Thomas Varlan, seated in Knoxville, delivered a resolute life sentence. The courtroom offered no leniency. Varlan, appointed under the George W. Bush administration, underscored a glaring separation between the Capitol riot and Kelley’s murder conspiracy. “This case stretches far beyond both geography and time,” the judge emphasized, making clear that Trump’s January 6 pardon only pertained to crimes tied directly to that day and location.

Read More >>

You Might Also Like