President Donald Trump issued a second pardon to a Jan. 6 rioter to erase his unrelated gun charges.
Dan Wilson was among the few prosecuted for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot who remained incarcerated due to an unrelated federal firearm charge. The president issued a new “full and unconditional pardon” to clear Wilson’s gun charge, releasing him well ahead of the end of his sentence, which was set to conclude in 2028.
“Dan Wilson is a good man. After more than 7 months of unjustified imprisonment, he is relieved to be home with his loved ones,” Wilson’s attorneys, George Pallas and Carol Stewart, told Politico in a statement. “This act of mercy not only restores his freedom but also shines a light on the overreach that has divided this nation.”
Wilson was charged with federal gun crimes when his property was searched by the FBI in 2022 over his participation in the Jan. 6 riot, uncovering several pistols and rifles.
Wilson admitted in a plea agreement that his possession of the firearms was illegal because he had been convicted in the 1990s of multiple felonies, including burglary, and because one of the guns was not registered to him.
The Department of Justice initially said Trump’s pardon of all Jan. 6 participants didn’t apply to the charge, but quickly reversed course.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, rejected the DOJ’s argument, saying they had stretched Trump’s pardon too far. Trump’s new pardon ended the debate over the matter.
DOJ EXPANDS TRUMP’S JAN. 6 PARDONS TO INCLUDE UNRELATED WEAPONS CRIMES
A White House official told Politico the DOJ reasoned a pardon was necessary “Because the search of Mr. Wilson’s home was due to the events of January 6, and they should have never been there in the first place.”
Notably, the DOJ rejected the near identical argument of Jan. 6 defendant David Daniel, after police found child pornography on his computer in a search connected to the riot.