Feds seek life sentence for J6 rioter pardoned by Trump

Federal prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Edward Kelly, a Tennessee man who was pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot – but later convicted of plotting to assassinate FBI agents and other law enforcement officials.

According to the Daily Beast, the Justice Department filed a sentencing memo Tuesday asking a judge to send Kelly, 35, to prison for the rest of his life. 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.

Kelly argued that Trump’s sweeping pardon issued immediately after he returned to the Oval Office in January for so-called “J6ers” like himself should also cover his later conviction. But prosecutors disagree.

“Kelley created a list of specific people he intended to assassinate,” the memo states, including agents from the FBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations 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 allegedly planned to attack the Knoxville FBI office using “improvised explosive devices attached to vehicles and drones,” prosecutors wrote this week, according to the Daily Beast.

The DOJ says Kelly deserves a harsh sentence due to his lack of remorse.

“Kelley is remorseless and has shown neither a capacity nor desire to rehabilitate,” prosecutors wrote, 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.

Kelly is due to be sentenced on July 2.