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Trump Issues Second Pardon for Jan. 6 Defendant Dan Wilson, Prompting Prison Release

The move tests how far a president’s clemency can reach when investigations uncover separate crimes.

Overview

  • President Trump granted a new, case-specific pardon covering Dan Wilson’s firearm convictions, and Wilson was released from custody Friday evening.
  • A White House official said the pardon was warranted because the guns were found during a search triggered by the Jan. 6 investigation into Wilson.
  • Authorities had seized six firearms and roughly 4,800 rounds of ammunition from Wilson’s Kentucky home, which he was barred from possessing due to prior felonies.
  • The Justice Department first contended the January mass pardons did not extend to the gun case, then reversed its stance, a shift criticized by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich.
  • Wilson previously pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiring to impede or injure officers in connection with Jan. 6, with prosecutors citing militia ties and messages discussing bringing weapons and a potential “civil war.”