Pardoned January 6 participant charged over alleged threats to kill federal judges

Key Points:

• Cleveland Meredith, pardoned by Donald Trump for his involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack and threatening then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, now faces new charges for threatening to kill federal judges overseeing related cases.
• Meredith allegedly posted violent threats on Facebook in April 2026, including calls for the execution of all January 6 federal judges and warnings of violence following the midterm elections.
• Prosecutors highlighted Meredith's history of violent rhetoric and noted he was previously sentenced to 28 months in prison for threatening Pelosi and possessing firearms near the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
• Meredith was pardoned by Trump in 2025 as part of a mass clemency covering nearly 1,600 individuals involved in seditious conspiracy related to the Capitol attack.
• Prior to the riot, Meredith ran a car-wash business linked to QAnon conspiracy theories and has continued to make threatening online posts, prompting FBI investigations and calls for his detention.