Camilla Jessen
Trump issues pardons to Giuliani, Meadows and dozens more.
President Donald Trump issued a wave of presidential pardons on Sunday, offering “full, complete and unconditional” clemency to dozens of close allies tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The decision, released by the Justice Department’s pardon attorney, included figures like Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Kenneth Chesebro.
All of them were key players in the so-called “fake electors” plan, a multi-state effort to submit alternative slates of pro-Trump electors in swing states that Joe Biden had won.
The group has been at the center of ongoing federal and state investigations since 2021.
Although none of those pardoned have been convicted of federal crimes, the move appears to be preemptive, shielding them from any potential federal charges related to the scheme.
Trump’s pardon statement referred broadly to actions taken in support of investigating election fraud and organizing slates of electors in connection with the 2020 election.
State-level prosecutions remain unaffected
Legal experts were quick to point out that presidential pardons do not apply to state charges.
Many individuals on the list face active criminal cases in Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. In Georgia, several of the same figures were charged under the state’s RICO statute for their alleged roles in trying to overturn the election results.
The pardon document did not include dates.
Trump’s office declined to comment, but supporters framed the move as a long-overdue correction of what they view as politically motivated prosecutions.
Critics, however, called the mass pardon a dangerous precedent.
“This is not about justice. This is about erasing consequences for people who tried to undermine the democratic process,” said one former federal prosecutor.
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, who may have used AI in the preparation
