Trump pardons dozens of allies who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden

As President Trump continues to promote the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, he has taken a new step to protect former administration officials and allies who have been accused of working to overturn the election won by Joe Biden. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports on the president’s series of pardons.

Jeff Bennett:

As President Trump continues to promote the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, he has taken a new step to protect former administration officials and his allies who have been accused of working to overturn the election won by Joe Biden.

White House correspondent Liz Landers reports on the president’s series of pardons.

Liz Landers:

The Department of Justice announced late Sunday evening that President Trump has pardoned a list of people involved in the alleged scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Special counsel Ed Martin posted on social media that a list of people, including Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorney Sidney Powell, were pardoned on Friday.

In it, President Trump grants — quote — “full, complete and unconditional pardons” to about 80 people in order to end — quote — “the grave national injustice committed upon the American people after the 2020 election.”

Edward Martin, US Pardon Attorney:

They’ve been closed. They have been silenced. And why? The question was: What happened to the 2020 elections?

Liz Landers:

The president continues to assert without evidence that the 2020 election was rigged and that he won. After the 2020 election, Trump allies allegedly worked together in a coordinated effort, according to the House Jan. 6 Select Committee, to field surrogate electors in key swing states like Arizona and Georgia that falsely certified Trump’s election victory.

Among those pardoned is Jeffrey Clark, a former top Justice Department lawyer who sought to keep Trump in power. He was indicted in Georgia in August 2023, along with Trump and more than a dozen others in an election racketeering scheme. He took to social media on Monday morning to say that Trump had personally called him to tell him about the pardon, but also acknowledged that his legal troubles were far from over.

A presidential pardon only applies to federal crimes, making Trump’s move largely symbolic. Giuliani, Clark and others still face charges at the state level.

Liz Auer, former Justice Department pardon attorney:

This is a very unusual pardon, because the way it was written is so broad.

Liz Landers:

Liz Auer served as a Justice Department pardon attorney appointed during the Biden administration.

Auer says it’s about the message Trump is sending.

Liz Auer:

They have all been charged with crimes under state law. This is actually an area where the Constitution very clearly states that the president does not have the power to pardon.

Liz Landers:

Do you think these pardons are really important?

Liz Auer:

And the thing that’s disturbing and disturbing about them is that the president is sending clear messages to his supporters that if you commit crimes in the name of Donald Trump, Trump will back you. It’s basically a call for MAGA supporters and Trump loyalists to do whatever they feel they need to do for Donald Trump.

Liz Landers:

On the “PBS News Hour,” I’m Liz Landers.