President Donald Trump has recently granted pardons to two defendants connected to the January 6 incident, who are also facing charges on unrelated matters. One of these defendants, Suzanne Kaye, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for allegedly threatening to shoot FBI agents in her social media posts.
According to the Department of Justice under the Biden administration, on January 31, 2021, the day before Kaye was scheduled to meet with FBI agents regarding a tip about her presence at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 riot, she posted videos on social media claiming that she would “shoot” FBI agents if they came to her home. The FBI became aware of Kaye’s social media posts on February 8, 2021, and she was arrested at her home in Florida on February 17, 2021.
A White House official told Fox News Digital that Kaye is prone to stress-induced seizures and experienced one while the jury read its verdict in 2023. The official noted that this case involved disfavored political speech, which is protected under the First Amendment.
U.S. Special Attorney Ed Martin posted about the recent pardon on Saturday, expressing gratitude to Trump in a post on X. He stated, “The Biden DOJ targeted Suzanne Kaye for her social media posts, resulting in an 18-month federal prison sentence. President Trump is undoing the damage caused by Biden’s DOJ weaponization, allowing the healing process to begin.”
Wilson – January 6 Defendant Continued to Serve Time for the Firearms
Daniel Wilson, a defendant from January 6, remains imprisoned despite Trump’s pardons for several convicted rioters. This is because he had pleaded guilty to firearms charges. A White House official told Fox News Digital that President Trump decided to grant Wilson an additional pardon due to the firearms being discovered during a search of Wilson’s home in relation to the Capitol riot.
Although Wilson was included in the broad pardon granted to January 6 defendants by Trump on January 20, 2025, he continued to serve time for the firearms charge, set to be released in 2028. Before his sentencing on January 6-related charges, for which he received a five-year prison term, Wilson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a banned person and possession of an unregistered firearm.
Initially, the Trump administration’s Justice Department said the firearms charge wouldn’t be part of the January 6 pardon. They later reversed this decision, citing “further clarity,” but did not explain the change.
In his original pardon, Trump stated that under his authority granted by Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, he was commuting the sentences of individuals “convicted of offenses related to events that happened at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.” This pardon included Wilson’s charges from January 6, but did not cover those related to firearms.
A U.S. Judge Condemned the Phrase “Related to” in Trump’s Original Pardon
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee involved in Wilson’s case, rejected the broad interpretation of what Trump was pardoning. She argued that it extended the bounds of the order too far. In her opinion, Friedrich criticized the use of the phrase “related to” in Trump’s original pardon, stating that it should indicate a specific factual link between the conduct underlying a particular offense and the events of January 6, 2021.
An appeals court later upheld her objections, requiring Wilson to remain in custody during the appeal process. Wilson has previously identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers and the Gray Ghost Partisan Rangers militia, according to Politico.
“Dan Wilson is a good man. After being unjustly imprisoned for more than seven months, he is happy to be back home with his family,” said Wilson’s attorneys, George Pallas and Carol Stewart, in a statement to Politico. “This act of mercy restores his freedom and highlights the problems that have divided our nation.”
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