WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump issued pardons to Rudy Giuliani and others implicated in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, his pardon attorney announced Wednesday.The sweeping action, documented in a pardon order dated November 7, aims to address what the document describes as a “grave national injustice” following the election and facilitate “national reconciliation.”
The pardons extend to individuals named in Georgia indictments alleging attempts to subvert Trump’s 2020 loss, including co-defendants alongside the former president. While the pardons are limited to federal offenses and explicitly exclude Trump himself, the move represents a notable intervention in ongoing state-level legal battles and underscores the former president’s continued focus on the disputed election outcome. This action arrives as Trump faces multiple legal challenges and as the nation approaches the 2024 presidential election.
According to the pardon document, the action is intended to “end to a grave national injustice perpetrated against the American people following the 2020 presidential election and continues the process of national reconciliation.” The pardons represent a total,complete and unconditional release from federal prosecution for those named.
Beyond those connected to the 2020 election challenge, Trump also granted a pardon last week to a retired New York City police officer convicted in 2023 of harassing a New Jersey family at the behest of the Chinese government. Additionally, former Major League Baseball star Darryl Strawberry received a pardon on a 1995 tax evasion charge.
CNN has reached out to the White House and the pardon attorney’s office for further comment.
