Posted on 03/10/2025 10:33:41 PM PDT by Libloather
President Donald Trump’s blanket pardon for the rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, does not cover a conspiracy by one defendant to kill the law enforcement officials who investigated him, a federal judge ruled Monday.
Edward Kelley, who was convicted of the conspiracy last year by a federal jury in Tennessee, had argued that Trump’s sweeping clemency for rioters should also cover his conviction since the agents and officers he targeted were connected to the Jan. 6 investigation.
The Trump administration had opposed Kelley’s claim, saying the conspiracy was too far removed from the Jan. 6 attack to fit into Trump’s pardon. But simultaneously, the Justice Department has sought to apply Trump’s clemency to an increasingly broad range of crimes — unconnected to the Jan. 6 attack — in courts across the country, stoking confusion and, in some cases, pushback from the courts.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan is the first to confront the Trump administration’s vacillating views about how far Trump intended to go. Varlan, a George W. Bush appointee, said the Trump administration’s “change in position” about the pardon required the courts to interpret the pardon for themselves. And in his view, Kelley’s crime was too far removed from the Jan. 6 riot to qualify.
Though Varlan’s ruling aligned with the Justice Department’s position on Kelley, it rejected the administration’s contention that courts have no role in analyzing Trump’s pardon. He noted that the Justice Department had advanced “differing positions” about the blanket pardon, which Trump issued on his first day in office and applied to more than 1,000 people who stormed the Capitol.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Read the ruling? You keep asking these folks to be responsible instead of shooting from the hip.
Are all the pardonees named in the pardon instrument? Or does the instrument refer to at least some pardonees solely by way of category or characteristic? If the latter, maybe there is potentially some wiggle room or room for argument? Which in the pardon “game” would be, it seems, bad ju-ju.
While I have advocated by the J6 detainees the acquisition and publication of personal information regarding the J6 judges, LEOs, detention staff, etc for possible legal action, I don’t support the actual murder of same.
I do however find it amusing as this story will heighten the level of concern for their well-being among the same J6 judges, LEOs, detention staff, etc. Knowing that a most unpleasant end may come at any moment will result in them spending the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders, scanning their transportation for explosives, etc. Just the increase in these individuals blood pressure will eventually do what needs to be done.
“It’s time for Donald to start removing them from the benches and appointing far more worthy judges.”
Unfortunately he can’t. Once appointed and sitting they enjoy separation of powers protection even though they are not returning the same back to Trump.
Good job.
POTUS can’t remove judges. He can remove attorneys, but not judges. (Sadly.)
My thoughts exactly... let’s give him a chance to run his mouth. This will probably be the first challenge to what has been until now, the limitless power of a Presidential pardon. Will be fun to see where this goes, and perhaps we can get some clarity around the requirements of a pardon. Blanket pardons certainly will not stand the test.
These Judges are getting TOO BIG FOR THIR ROBES! THIS CRAP MUST STOP!
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Who brought the case and what was their standing?
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Doesn’t matter. It’s Anti-Trump so ‘standing’ (B.S. judicial-created-faux-legalize to get out of doing their farking JOBS) is moot.
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How did this get in front of the judge?
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Judicial ‘shopping’ (+ see A1, above)
“Kelley and a co-defendant (Austin Carter) developed their plan. Then Carter was stupid enough to discuss with a co-worker. The co-worker went to the police.”
So the case is entirely built on hearsay? Why should this override a pardon? The judge needs to be removed from the bench and investigated.
Is there any evidence that this happened?
And a Court's say so isn't good enough. We've seen what the corrupt DC courts pulled, so no, a pronouncement by a court isn't proof of anything.
Absolutely.
Look, most J6 protesters shoudl have been pardoned and, IMO, shoudl be able to sue based on the horrible conditions they were kept in or the way they were coerced to plead guilty.
That said, there are a few who deserved to be thrown in jail and they got what they deserved. This guy sounds like one of them.
I didn't see any actual proof of their guilt. Do you know any details that would demonstrate they had actually done something wrong?
I have Zero faith in Judges, and Zero faith in juries. In my lifetime, I have seen far too many examples of both getting the verdicts absolutely wrong.
I like to look at the evidence myself rather than just trusting what either a judge or jury claims.
You would have to pull the trial transcripts from PACER.
Just use the Hunter Biden precedent!
Typical politico garbage. The last sentence “stormed the Capitol”...people were guided in bu the security officers after someone INSIDE unlocked the magnetic locks on the large brass doors. They were given a guided tour. What complete BS.
Ah! Yes
I do not know the answer to that.
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