J6 rioter pardoned by Trump gets life sentence for plotting assassinations

A Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by President Donald Trump has been sentenced to life in prison after he was later convicted of plotting to assassinate FBI agents and other law enforcement officials.

Federal prosecutors sought a life sentence for Edward Kelley, 36, of Tennessee, last month in a sentencing memo. In November, Kelly was convicted of conspiring to murder agents from the FBI and officers with multiple Tennessee law enforcement agencies after they investigated his role in the Capitol attack.

Kelley had argued that Trump’s sweeping pardon — issued immediately after he returned to the Oval Office for rioters like himself — should also cover his other conviction. Prosecutors disagreed.

“Kelley created a list of specific people he intended to assassinate,” a Justice Department memo said. That included agents from the FBI, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and local departments. “To effectuate his plan, Kelley sought the assistance of others to identify his victims’ pattern of life and to murder them at their offices, homes, and in public places.”

He also planned to attack the Knoxville FBI office using “improvised explosive devices attached to vehicles and drones,” prosecutors said.

The DOJ noted Kelley has shown no remorse.

“Kelley is remorseless and has shown neither a capacity nor desire to rehabilitate,” prosecutors said, adding that he continues to believe not only that the “actions for which he was convicted were justified but that his duty as a self-styled ‘patriot’ compelled him to target East Tennessee law enforcement for assassination.”

In April, Kelly told local news outlet 10 News, “I don’t feel bad for what I did. I was fighting for my country that day.” He said he’s appealed directly to Trump for help, but as of April, had received no response.