Trump pardons Giuliani, meadows and others accused of 2020 election plot
U.S. President Donald Trump has granted pardons to his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, as well as several other political allies accused of seeking to overturn the 2020 election results, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to a presidential proclamation, the decision aims to “end a grave national injustice” and promote “national reconciliation.” The list of pardoned individuals includes several electors who had faced state-level charges related to the certification of the 2020 election results.
The pardons apply only to federal offenses, while those charged were prosecuted by state authorities. The document, signed by Justice Department attorney Ed Martin, described them as “full, complete, and unconditional.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the president’s action was intended to protect citizens from “politically motivated prosecutions.”
Among those pardoned, Giuliani had earlier faced civil penalties in connection with election-related litigation. Others include lawyers Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, and Kenneth Chesebro, who represented Trump’s campaign during post-election legal challenges.
Earlier this year, Trump also pardoned several supporters charged over the events at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. Many of the remaining election-related cases against his allies in several states have since been dismissed or suspended.
Under the U.S. electoral system, the president is chosen by the 538-member Electoral College, whose votes reflect the results of each state.
As reported earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of former Republican congressman George Santos, who had been serving time for fraud and identity theft.
