Image Credit: George Washington University
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
In a somewhat convoluted case, a federal judge has ruled that a pardon by President Trump for activities on January 6, 2021, does not apply to a separate weapons conviction for a Tennessee man.
Though Clifford J. Meteer received a presidential pardon, along with several other J6ers in Tennessee, for participating in the demonstrations at the U.S. Capitol at the end of Trump’s first term, a Knoxville judge has ruled that the pardon does not extend to a separate weapons conviction he received as a result of a search of his home by the FBI in August of 2021 related to J6.
Meteer was previously convicted of felony evidence tampering in 2013, and according to Tennessee law, convicted felons cannot possess firearms, so the FBI believed its discovery and seizure of 10 weapons and ammunition during their raid of his residence constituted a violation of that law, earning him a separate charge.
In April 2023 he pleaded guilty to having firearms as a convicted felon and was sentenced to 48 months of probation, the first nine under home confinement, and 20 hours of community service.
But after receiving his pardon earlier this year, Meteer launched a bid to have his weapons conviction vacated and dismissed or his probation ended now, several months early, arguing the pardon should apply as the weapons violation would never have been discovered were not investigated by federal authorities for J6 activities.
Federal prosecutors and government attorneys reportedly concurred with points of Meteer petition, agreeing the pardon does apply in this case.
“There is no sound basis on which to conclude that the firearm-possession offense would have been discovered other than as a byproduct of the investigation of Meteer’s actions at the Capitol on January 6. Whatever may be true of other crimes committed in other circumstances, this prosecution for possessing firearms found in Meteer’s house pursuant to a warrant based on the events at or near the Capitol on January 6, 2021, is ‘related to’ those events and thus comes within the terms of the pardon,” contended Cynthia Davidson with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas A. Varlan disagreed.
In his June 6 order, he wrote that the pardon, “limits its scope to offenses related to actions taken on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol, and such language is not broad enough to include entirely unrelated firearms possession offenses, on a different date, in a different location, simply because the offense was discovered during an investigation into the defendant’s conduct on January 6, 2021, at the Capitol.”
This is not the first J6-related conviction Judge Varlan has declined to toss as earlier this year the judge denied the petition of Edward Kelley of Maryville. Kelley, who also received a Trump pardon, was later found guilty of leading a separate plot to kill FBI agents, a conviction to which Varlan said the pardon did not apply.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
