Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump pardoned 11 people Friday, including nine defendants convicted in cases involving violations of federal vehicle emissions rules.
The White House said the emissions-related defendants had been prosecuted for helping people bypass or disable vehicle pollution-control systems. Trump described them on Truth Social as people punished for “fixing their car,” though prosecutors in such cases have generally treated emissions tampering and defeat devices as Clean Air Act violations, not routine repairs.
The pardons followed a Trump memo directing the Environmental Protection Agency to support what the administration calls “Freedom to Fix” policies for vehicles and equipment. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency is moving quickly to provide relief to operators and aftermarket parts businesses. Environmental advocates argue the policy weakens enforcement against pollution controls designed to protect air quality.
Trump also pardoned Adam Kidan, a former business partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff who pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud and conspiracy tied to the SunCruz Casinos case. Another pardon went to ranch owner Jack Harvard, though the White House released fewer details about his conviction.
The clemency grants fit Trump’s broader second-term pattern of using pardons for political allies, public figures, and people aligned with his deregulatory agenda.
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