Olympic gold medalist Kleta Keller speaks out after Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon: ‘Something was given back to me’
Double Kleta Keller’s Olympic gold medal was among 1,500 defendants charged in the January 6, 2021 riots in the US capital pardoned by President Donald Trump on Monday.
“It didn’t feel real,” Keller said The Washington Post in his first interview since his arrest.
Phoenix’s Klete Keller shows off his bronze medal in the men’s 400m freestyle final at the Sydney International Aquatic Center at the September 2000 Olympics. (IMAGIN)
“And when I woke up this morning, I was like, ‘Oh my God. Wow, this is over. I don’t have to report to my probation officer anymore.’
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Keller was one of approximately 1,500 defendants pardoned after Trump signed an executive order pardoning those who stormed the Capitol. In September 2021, he pleaded guilty to a criminal offense and was sentenced to six months of house arrest and three years of probation.
“I truly regret the actions I took that day. I love this country,” Keller said in an interview published Tuesday. “I’m so grateful that I now have the opportunity to move forward.”
Keller has been acknowledged in court records that he tried to obstruct Congressional certification of former President Biden’s Electoral College victory and that he chased away officers who tried to remove him from the Capitol Rotunda. He also admitted to making vulgar comments about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Klete Keller looks at his watch, confirming that he won bronze with a time of 3:44.11 in the men’s 400m freestyle at the 2004 Athens Olympics. (IMAGIN)
TRUMP PARDONE FOR ALMOST THE WHOLE OF JANUARY. 6 ACCUSED ON INAUGURATION DAY
Keller, a three-time Olympic swimmer, also admitted to throwing away his US Olympic team jacket he was wearing that day and destroying his phone.
He told the Washington Post that he struggled under the “weight of the justice system” but accepted the consequences of his decisions. Although he never expected a pardon, Keller expressed his gratitude for Trump’s intervention.
“I’m still trying to figure it out. I feel like something has been returned to me,” he told the news outlet. “You know, I’m not angry. I’m not a victim. I feel blessed to have this chance in life again. I’ve learned a lot of lessons. And I’m going to continue to learn those lessons.”
Klete Keller at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)
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Keller, 42, has competed in three Games, winning five medals. He won his second gold in the men’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay alongside Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Games.
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