President Trump has issued a second pardon to Daniel Edwin Wilson, a January 6 defendant who was set to remain in prison until 2028 despite being granted clemency for his role in the Capitol riot, due to his separate conviction for illegally possessing firearms.
The decision is part of a pattern of Trump's willingness to use his constitutional authority to help supporters who tried to keep him in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election. Wilson was under investigation for his involvement in the January 6 riot and had six guns and over 4,800 rounds of ammunition found at his home, making it illegal for him to possess firearms due to prior felony convictions.
The case raised questions about whether Trump's pardons for January 6 rioters applied to other crimes discovered during the federal investigation. A Trump-appointed judge criticized the Justice Department earlier this year for arguing that the president's pardons did not extend to Wilson's gun offense, but later changed its position after receiving "further clarity on the intent of the Presidential Pardon."
Wilson had been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to impede or injure police officers and possessing firearms. Prosecutors accused him of planning for the January 6 riot for weeks and communicating with far-right groups. A message from Wilson, saying he was willing to do whatever it took, including sacrificing himself, raised concerns about his intentions.
The White House official confirmed that Trump pardoned Wilson due to the events of January 6 being "unjust" and "should never have been there in the first place." The pardon comes as a surprise, given the Justice Department's earlier position that Trump's pardons did not extend to Wilson's gun crime.
The decision is part of a pattern of Trump's willingness to use his constitutional authority to help supporters who tried to keep him in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election. Wilson was under investigation for his involvement in the January 6 riot and had six guns and over 4,800 rounds of ammunition found at his home, making it illegal for him to possess firearms due to prior felony convictions.
The case raised questions about whether Trump's pardons for January 6 rioters applied to other crimes discovered during the federal investigation. A Trump-appointed judge criticized the Justice Department earlier this year for arguing that the president's pardons did not extend to Wilson's gun offense, but later changed its position after receiving "further clarity on the intent of the Presidential Pardon."
Wilson had been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to impede or injure police officers and possessing firearms. Prosecutors accused him of planning for the January 6 riot for weeks and communicating with far-right groups. A message from Wilson, saying he was willing to do whatever it took, including sacrificing himself, raised concerns about his intentions.
The White House official confirmed that Trump pardoned Wilson due to the events of January 6 being "unjust" and "should never have been there in the first place." The pardon comes as a surprise, given the Justice Department's earlier position that Trump's pardons did not extend to Wilson's gun crime.
I'm literally losing my mind over this!! 
Like, can't believe Trump is just gonna keep on pardoning these dudes who were involved in all that chaos at the Capitol 
️ on January 6th... it's like, what even is the point of having a justice system if the president just makes up his own rules 
? And Wilson's case was literally so egregious - six guns and 4,800 rounds of ammo found at his house, dude! You can't just pardon someone for that and expect everyone to be okay with it 
. I mean, what about all the other people who got hurt or suffered during that riot? 
It's not like Trump is doing this out of the goodness of his heart, he's just trying to help out his buddies who are in a tight spot 
. Anyway, I'm so done with Trump and his pardoning ways 
... can we just get some real justice here? 
, Trump is literally playing with fire here 
, pardoning someone for gun crimes just because they were involved in the Jan 6th riot... that's like giving a free pass to all the gun-toting insurrectionists 
and it raises so many questions about accountability. Like, what's next? Pardoning people for murder or something? 
come on guys, get your act together! 
. I think it's fair to say that President Trump's pardon for Daniel Edwin Wilson is going to be a topic of much debate 
. But on the other hand, you can't deny that Trump's pardon for the January 6 rioters has raised some eyebrows 
.
. The question is, what does this precedent set for future pardons? Will it apply to other crimes discovered during the investigation? It's gonna be interesting to see how this plays out 
.
. So, President Trump is just gonna go around issuing pardons left and right because his friends tried to stage an insurrection? Like, what even is the point of that? It's not like he's above the law or anything... I mean, come on, the guy got sued by actual people for his role in the whole thing. And now he's just using his pardon power to help out some random dude who tried to break into Congress? It's not fair to everyone else who actually followed the rules and didn't try to overturn an election. I get it, Wilson did have some pretty shady stuff going on at his house... but pardoning him because of January 6 is just convenient for Trump and his supporters. He's basically saying that if you're a friend or supporter of the President, you can just get away with anything... no big deal 
.
. I get that the January 6 thing was super messed up, but come on dude, you can't just pardon someone for trying to prevent police from doing their job and possess all those firearms 
.
anyway i heard trump said the events of jan 6 were "unjust" and that's why he did it... but like isn't a pardon for gun possession kinda a big deal? 
and what about all the other crimes he got caught up in during that investigation? is this just a pattern or something? i don't get it at all 
and what really gets me is that the White House official said the pardon was due to the events of January 6 being "unjust" 
: 73% of January 6 defendants have received pardons under Trump 
Wilson had 6 guns & 4800 rounds of ammo at his home 
44% of January 6 defendants are now free due to Trump's pardons 
It's like, just because Trump has used his power to help some of his supporters doesn't mean everyone else gets a free pass. We need to make sure our justice system is fair and applies to everyone equally, not just those with influence or ties to the president.
. I mean, isn't that the point of pardons to help people who've done wrong? But then you find out there's all these other conditions under which he can or can't get one... it's like trying to figure out a puzzle with too many pieces 
.
. And now this guy gets a second chance? It feels like some people just get lucky 
. But honestly, what's the big deal 'bout guns? I mean, if you got em' licensed, why should it matter? Just saying...