Mar 31, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Trump pardons Jan. 6 defendant and a former Hunter Biden associate

Sareen Habeshian

Thomas Caldwell, a defendant charged with seditious conspiracy in his connection to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, leaves the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. District Courthouse November 29, 2022 in Washington, DC. Caldwell was found not guilty on seditious conspiracy and found guilty on — Thomas Caldwell outside the U.S. District Courthouse on Nov. 29, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

President Trump continued on his roll of granting clemency Monday, pardoning a former associate of Hunter Biden as well as a Jan. 6 defendant.

The big picture: Trump has dolled out pardons to people accused of a wide variety of crimes, including Jan. 6 rioters, white-collar crooks and political adversaries' opponents.

State of play: Jason Galanis was serving a 14-year prison sentence after being convicted of securities fraud, investment adviser fraud and other charges in 2020.

Galanis cooperated last year with House Republicans investigating the business entanglements of former President Biden's son Hunter Biden.
He is the second former Hunter Biden business associate to be pardoned by Trump this month.

Zoom in: Thomas Edward Caldwell is the latest person associated with the Jan. 6 riot to receive clemency from Trump, after the president issued sweeping pardons for the vast majority of Capitol riot defendants on his first day in office.

Caldwell was arrested in the weeks after the riot and tried alongside members of the Oath Keepers, including the group's founder, Stewart Rhodes.
The retired Navy intelligence officer was acquitted by a jury earlier this year of charges including seditious conspiracy and two other conspiracy counts. Other charges against him were also dismissed.

Flashback: Caldwell was among about a dozen people who received a sentence commutation from Trump in January as part of his executive order pardoning most Jan. 6 defendants.

More from Axios:

Add Axios on Google

Trump pardons Jan. 6 defendant and a former Hunter Biden associate

What to read next