Edward Kelley, a veteran pardoned by Trump, was found guilty of trying to kill officers who investigated him
A U.S. military veteran previously pardoned by Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot has been sentenced to life in prison for plotting a violent attack against the FBI and planning the assassination of federal law enforcement officers.
Edward Kelley, 36, was convicted last November on multiple charges, including conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a violent crime, and threatening a federal official. Prosecutors said Kelley was “remorseless” in his actions.
Kelley, a former U.S. Marine discharged in 2015, was among the first rioters to breach the Capitol during the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Following the attack, federal investigators say he created a plan to retaliate against those probing his involvement, including targeting the FBI’s Knoxville, Tennessee, field office with car bombs and drones rigged with explosives. He also compiled a “kill list” of federal officers.
Although Trump granted Kelley a pardon related to his Capitol riot charges during a sweeping clemency push on his first day back in office in January, a federal judge ruled that the pardon did not cover his later crimes, allowing prosecutors to proceed.
Kelley’s co-conspirator, Austin Carter, pleaded guilty in 2022 and became a cooperating witness. Carter testified that he and Kelley discussed assassinating FBI agents not just at work, but also in public spaces like movie theaters and at their homes. The Justice Department cited Carter’s testimony as a key factor in Kelley’s conviction.
In a separate case, Kelley had previously been found guilty of assaulting law enforcement, engaging in civil disorder, and destroying government property—charges that stemmed from the Capitol attack.
Kelley’s case highlights the broader consequences of the January 6 riot. On the same day Kelley received his life sentence, new reports emerged that another January 6 defendant is now working as an adviser inside the Justice Department. That individual is serving under Ed Martin, who leads the Trump administration’s newly created “weaponization working group.”
The group was launched in February to investigate what Trump officials describe as political bias during the Biden administration—targeting, among other things, prosecutions of January 6 participants.
Trump’s controversial decision to pardon nearly 1,500 individuals involved in the Capitol insurrection has fueled ongoing concerns about the normalization of political violence. While Trump was impeached for inciting the riot, he was later acquitted by the Senate, clearing the way for his return to national politics and a third presidential campaign.
Kelley’s sentencing underscores how the aftermath of January 6 continues to reverberate—both inside the justice system and within the halls of power.
