Less than a month after receiving pardons for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack, some rioters find themselves back in court facing new criminal charges—and are now arguing that the pardons granted by President Donald Trump should absolve them of these additional crimes.
Several individuals involved in the insurrection are seeking to extend the scope of their pardons to cover offenses uncovered during investigations that followed the Capitol riot. These include serious charges, such as plotting to murder FBI agents and charges of child pornography.
One high-profile case involves Edward Kelley, who was pardoned for assaulting police officers at the Capitol. In November, Kelley was convicted for conspiring to murder the FBI agents who had investigated his actions in the insurrection. Evidence revealed that he had compiled a “kill list” of targets. Kelley is now seeking to have his pardon extended to cover this new conviction.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, other rioters are making similar arguments, asking that their pardons protect them from additional charges, including illegal possession of firearms and child pornography, which were uncovered during post-riot investigations. These new revelations are raising alarm about the broader criminal activities connected to those involved in the insurrection.
In Texas, prosecutors have issued a manhunt for Andrew Taake, a rioter accused of soliciting a minor online in 2016, further complicating the legal fallout from the Capitol attack.
Additionally, some rioters have published an online list of 124 officials involved in their legal cases, a move that has unsettled federal agents. As the legal battles continue, the key question remains whether the pardons granted by Trump should extend to cover the additional crimes now emerging.
