Background

Jared L. Wise is a former FBI supervisory agent who participated in the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach. He was indicted in 2023 on federal charges including civil disorder and aiding and abetting assault; his trial had been set for January 2025. President Trump pardoned him in January 2025 under a broad proclamation covering Jan. 6 defendants, and the Justice Department moved to dismiss his case. After the pardon, Wise was hired at the Justice Department as a counselor and senior adviser to Ed Martin on the department's Weaponization Working Group. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have called for his removal from the department.

The Case

According to charging documents cited by the Independent, ABC News, and the New York Times, body-cam and surveillance footage showed Wise shouting "Kill 'em!" at law enforcement officers during the Capitol breach and entering the building. As a former FBI supervisory agent, his alleged conduct—encouraging violence against officers and joining the mob that overran the Capitol—undermined the institution he had served and contributed to the harm to law enforcement, the disruption of the certification of the presidential election, and damage to public trust in the peaceful transfer of power.

Wise was indicted on multiple counts in 2023; his trial was scheduled for January 2025. After Trump's January 20, 2025, clemency proclamation covering roughly 1,500 people charged in connection with Jan. 6, the Justice Department moved to dismiss Wise's case and the court granted the dismissal.

His subsequent hiring at the Justice Department, in a role advising on the Weaponization Working Group, drew condemnation from Senate Judiciary Democrats. In a July 2025 release, Senators Durbin, Whitehouse, and Schiff urged the department to fire Wise, describing his employment as an affront to law enforcement and citing the underlying allegations against him.

The Pardon

On January 20, 2025, President Trump granted Wise a full pardon under a proclamation covering certain offenses relating to the events at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Justice Department thereafter moved to dismiss his case and the judge granted the request.

Sources

• President Trump's Proclamation Granting Pardons and Commutations for Jan. 6 Offenses (DOJ)
• He told Jan 6 rioters to 'kill' cops. After Trump's pardon, he got hired at the Justice Department (The Independent, July 2025)
• Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Who Threatened Police Joins Justice Dept. (The New York Times, July 2025)
• Senate Judiciary Democrats Urge Firing Of Justice Department Employee And Insurrectionist Jared Wise (Senate Judiciary Committee, July 2025)
• Former FBI agent pardoned by Trump for Jan. 6 charges (ABC News, Jan 2025)