Just two weeks into serving his sentence, former state Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) posted on social media that he received a full pardon from President Donald Trump.

Kelsey was set to serve 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal campaign finance charges for his failed congressional run in 2016. He was serving time in a federal prison in Kentucky until he was released from custody on Tuesday, according to records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Prior to Kelsey's sentencing in August 2023, he had tried to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that he made the decision under pressure. He had previously called the charges politically motivated before pleading guilty.

Brian Kelsey

Brian Kelsey

Kelsey and his co-defendant Joshua Smith, who owns Nashville private club The Standard, were indicted in October 2021 for funneling money from Kelsey’s state campaign account through spending via the American Conservative Union to support his congressional run. No one from the national conservative organization was charged with a crime.

Smith and Kelsey pleaded guilty in October and November of 2022, respectively. Smith was sentenced in August 2023 to 720 hours of community service and was ordered to pay a $250,000 fine. 

Since Kelsey was released earlier this week, he has thanked Trump for the pardon and blamed the "Biden DOJ," which he also tried to blame in 2021 — even though the investigation into his campaign finances began during Trump's first term. Kelsey also thanked Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles for taking his case to the president. Ogles is currently under scrutiny for his own campaign finances.

This story was first published by our sister publication, the Williamson Scene.

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