US President Donald Trump on Friday granted a series of pardons to several of his associates, including Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, both accused of participating in schemes to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden. The announcement was confirmed Monday by a senior Justice Department official.
In a proclamation broadcast on X, Trump justified the measure by claiming he wanted to end "a grave national injustice" and pave the way for "the reconciliation of the country." According to the document, at least 77 people are among the beneficiaries, including former lawyers and political advisors who participated in the campaign to contest the election results.
The list notably includes Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, Jeffrey Clark, former Justice Department official, as well as lawyers John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Christina Bobb and Boris Epshteyn.
These pardons apply exclusively to federal matters and therefore do not cancel ongoing prosecutions in several states, including Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada, for alleged attempts to falsify voter lists.
The Justice Department had been investigating for several years the plan to send "alternative electors" intended to contest Biden 's victory in 2020. The federal case targeting Trump himself was dismissed after his return to the presidency in 2024, in accordance with the department's policy prohibiting prosecutions against a sitting president.
The White House defended the controversial pardons. Its spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, stated that "challenging an election is the cornerstone of American democracy."
This wave of pardons illustrates once again Trump's desire to settle prosecutions related to the post-election period of 2020, while his administration remains under fire for its repeated interference with the justice system.
