Before dawn on January 19, 2021, FBI agents arrested Thomas E. Caldwell at his Virginia farm amid an investigation into the Oath Keepers and the Capitol attack. In an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir, Caldwell describes the encounter and denies being an Oath Keepers member or entering the Capitol; court records show a jury later acquitted him of conspiracy charges, he was convicted of evidence tampering, sentenced to time served, and in March 2025 he received a presidential pardon.
Thomas E. Caldwell, a retired Navy lieutenant commander who served in naval intelligence, says he awoke to agents at his door when the FBI executed an arrest at his Berryville, Virginia, property on January 19, 2021. His account appears in an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir published by the Daily Wire. Federal charging documents show Caldwell was arrested that day and later indicted with others tied to the Oath Keepers for conduct related to January 6. (dailywire.com)
In the excerpt, Caldwell describes stepping outside in the cold, being handcuffed, and watching as his wife, Sharon, was ordered to keep her hands visible—details that reflect his personal recollection and have not been independently corroborated by law enforcement. He also recounts long-standing medical issues that he says limited his mobility. Court filings from early 2021 likewise noted his disabilities, though specific details in the scene are his characterization. (dailywire.com)
Prosecutors alleged that Caldwell coordinated with Oath Keepers associates ahead of January 6, including lodging and a so‑called "quick reaction force" staged outside Washington; they cited a message in which he wrote a suggested hotel "would allow us to hunt at night." At trial, however, evidence also showed Caldwell remained outside the Capitol, and the jury ultimately rejected the seditious‑conspiracy and related conspiracy counts. (cbsnews.com)
After a two‑month trial in 2022, jurors acquitted Caldwell of seditious conspiracy and two other conspiracy charges. He was convicted of evidence tampering, while an obstruction count was later dismissed following a Supreme Court ruling that affected many Jan. 6 cases. In January 2025, the judge sentenced him to time served—53 days—the same period Caldwell had spent in custody after his arrest. According to the Washington Post, Caldwell did not enter the Capitol on January 6. (washingtonpost.com)
Caldwell says he spent more than 50 days in solitary confinement immediately after his arrest; at sentencing, his lawyer similarly told the court he had served 53 days in solitary. (washingtonpost.com)
On March 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump granted Caldwell a full and unconditional pardon, according to the Justice Department’s clemency records and contemporaneous coverage by the Associated Press. (justice.gov)
The excerpt published by the Daily Wire is drawn from "The Mouths of the Wicked," which the outlet says is scheduled for publication in November 2025 by Puffin Publishers LLC. A separate commercial listing for the title is available online. These publication details were not independently confirmed beyond those sources. (dailywire.com)
