Trump Pardons Navy Vet Convicted in Jan. 6 Case \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Former President Donald Trump has issued a pardon to Thomas Caldwell, a retired Navy intelligence officer convicted of obstruction charges stemming from the January 6 Capitol riot. Caldwell had previously received a sentence of time served. His attorney confirmed the pardon and called the case an example of government overreach.
Trump Pardons Jan. 6 Defendant – Quick Looks
- Trump pardons Thomas Caldwell, a retired Navy officer
- Caldwell was convicted of obstruction and tampering after Capitol riot
- He was tried with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes
- Acquitted of seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge
- Sentenced to time served by Judge Amit Mehta
- Trump granted mass clemency to 1,500+ Jan. 6 defendants
- Caldwell’s lawyer calls case “government overreach”
- Messages about ferrying “heavy weapons” were called “creative writing”
- Weapons in “quick reaction force” were never deployed
- Caldwell never entered the Capitol during the riot
Deep Look
President Donald Trump has formally pardoned Thomas Caldwell, a retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer, whose name became known through his involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot investigation. Though Caldwell had already received a commuted sentence and avoided prison time, the March 20 presidential pardon wipes his record clean of federal offenses tied to the events surrounding the riot.
The pardon came as part of a sweeping clemency effort that Trump initiated shortly after resuming the presidency in January 2025. On his first day back in office, Trump signed off on mass pardons and commutations for more than 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the Capitol breach, including members and affiliates of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys—two far-right groups central to the Justice Department’s investigation.
Trial Background: Acquittal on Key Charge
Caldwell, now in his late 60s, was tried alongside Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers militia group. While Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy, Caldwell was acquitted of that charge, the most severe leveled against any January 6 defendant. Instead, a jury convicted him of obstructing an official proceeding (Congress) and obstruction of justice for allegedly tampering with evidence following the attack.
His defense attorney, David Fischer, told reporters that he informed Caldwell of the pardon after seeing it reported in the media. “And he’s elated,” Fischer said. “He was first among equals for a pardon.”
In January 2024, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, an Obama-appointed judge, sentenced Caldwell to time served and declined to impose supervised release—well below the four-year prison sentence that federal prosecutors had sought. The judge’s lenient sentencing reflected several mitigating factors, including Caldwell’s military service and lack of prior criminal history.
Messages, Weapons, and “Creative Writing”
Prosecutors alleged that Caldwell helped coordinate so-called “quick reaction force” (QRF) teams positioned outside Washington, D.C., that were allegedly prepared to transport firearms into the capital if violence escalated. Though the weapons were never used, and Caldwell never entered the Capitol building, the government argued that his communications signaled intent to assist in obstructing the transfer of power.
Among the messages used against Caldwell in court was one in which he proposed using a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River. On the witness stand, Caldwell dismissed the message as “creative writing” and insisted that he never seriously planned to arm or deploy weapons.
The government’s theory, Fischer argued, was flawed. “When a progressive D.C. jury acquits him of most of the charges, and an Obama-appointed judge sentences him to basically time served and a fine,” he said, “I think it’s safe to say the government got it wrong.”
Part of Trump’s Broader Jan. 6 Clemency Push
Caldwell’s pardon is one of several high-profile moves by Trump to reverse what he calls political prosecutions tied to the January 6 Capitol attack. In addition to commutations and pardons for individual defendants, Trump’s post-inauguration executive actions included the nullification of ongoing federal prosecutions related to the riot.
Critics say the move undermines the rule of law and accountability for the attack on the Capitol. However, Trump and his allies argue that many of the individuals charged were over-prosecuted, and that clemency is necessary to “correct” politically motivated cases.
More than a dozen people, including leaders of extremist groups, were convicted of seditious conspiracy, but Caldwell’s case highlights the varying outcomes and legal complexities involved in prosecuting the riot’s participants.
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