Washington: US President Donald Trump has pre-emptively pardoned his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and numerous conservative activists accused of supporting his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Ed Martin, the Trump administration’s pardon attorney, posted on social media a signed proclamation of the “full, complete, and unconditional” pardon, which also names conservative attorneys Sidney Powell and John Eastman. The proclamation explicitly said the pardon did not apply to Trump.
Among those who received a “full, complete and unconditional” pardon was Rudy Giuliani.Credit: AP
The order “ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 election, and continues the process of natural reconciliation”, the document said.
“Let their healing begin,” Martin posted on X.
The pardons are largely symbolic, as they only apply to federal crimes, and none of the people were charged in federal cases. They could protect the named individuals against future federal charges, although the statute of limitations effectively precludes that.
But the pardons do not prevent or hinder prosecutions under state law. Guiliani and Meadows are among those still facing criminal charges related to the election at a state level. They deny wrongdoing.
The full list of pardons included dozens of people accused of being part of the “fake electors” scheme in the aftermath of the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
The scheme involved Trump’s allies attempting to convince Republican-controlled legislatures in key states won by Biden to replace their delegates to the electoral college – which formally decides the presidency – with Trump-friendly electors.
Trump’s latest move underscores his efforts to continue to rewrite the history of the 2020 election. His first act as president was to grant clemency to about 1600 people charged or convicted over the January 6 riots at the US Capitol in Washington, where his supporters stormed Congress in his name.
