In his second term, Trump is using pardons as a way to reward people who have been loyal to him, as we saw when he pardoned Jan 6 rioters, which was never the intention of Presidential pardons.
Now, Trump is issuing pardons for reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who boasted about their wealth on their show ‘Chrisley Knows Best.’ However, as it turns out, the two were defrauding banks out of tens of millions of dollars. Ultimately, they were convicted of 36M bank fraud and tax evasion and sent to jail.
But when their daughter, Savannah, started lobbying Trump for a pardon, flattering him in social media posts and even appearing as a guest speaker at the Republican National Convention ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Trump started to pay attention.
In notifying the Chrisleys’ daughter about the pardon, Trump called their treatment “pretty harsh,” as shown in a video clip Trump posted on social media.
“Your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” Mr. Trump tells Savannah Chrisley, adding, “I don’t know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good life.”
Savannah Chrisley can be heard saying, “Thank you so much, Mr. President.”
“They were given pretty harsh treatment based on what I’m hearing, pretty harsh treatment,” Trump said. “Congratulate your parents, and I hear they’re terrific people. This should not have happened.”
Normally, pardons are reserved for people who show clear remorse and have served at least some — if not all — of their sentence.
Trump is using pardons in a way never seen before; to reward people who demonstrate loyalty to him personally.