President Donald Trump pardoned 11 individuals for violations of the Clean Air Act, according to multiple reports, including nine people convicted of circumventing vehicle emission controls and a former business partner of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The White House confirmed the pardons, with a official identifying the recipients as Ryan and Wade Lalone, Matt Geouge, Tim Clancy, Mac Spurlock, Joshua Davis, Barry Pierce, Aaron Rudolf, Adam Kidan, Jack Harvard, and Jonathan Achtemeier.
Context and Claims
Trump announced the pardons on Truth Social, stating that the individuals had been “persecuted” under President Joe Biden’s administration for “fixing their car.” He described the prosecutions as an example of “weaponization and stupidity” by federal prosecutors. A White House official confirmed the pardons to CBS News, noting that five of the recipients had been previously identified by lawyers representing the defendants.
The pardons align with Trump’s broader efforts to roll back environmental regulations. In February, his administration eliminated federal tailpipe emissions standards for vehicles, reversing a 2012 Obama-era finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health. On Friday, Trump also signed a memo affirming that U.S. citizens could modify their vehicles as they saw fit, citing a diesel mechanic he pardoned last year for similar violations.
Additional Recipient
Among the pardons was Adam Kidan, a former business partner of Jack Abramoff. Kidan, who served time in 2006 for fraud related to a fleet of gambling boats, was released in 2009. He recently hosted a fundraiser at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a March report. The Justice Department had previously directed prosecutors to drop all cases involving “aftermarket defeat devices,” which disable emissions systems, in early 2023.
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