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Convicted reality tv stars pardoned by Donald Trump seemingly because shared associates between both parties.

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ago in General Factchecking by Newbie (280 points)
Todd and Julie Christley, reality TV stars convicted of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States were pardoned by Donald Trump after their daughter personally appealed to members of Trump's family for her parents release and several people who previously worked on the the Christley's show, "Christley Knows Best", and who were associated with Trump in the past worked to get them pardoned. This included the lawyer Brett Tolman who previously helped win a pardon for Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's son-in-law.

Source:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/todd-julie-chrisleys-pardons-came-intervention-daughter-rcna209439
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/todd-julie-chrisleys-pardons-came-intervention-daughter-rcna209439

3 Answers

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ago by Newbie (340 points)

It does appear that the Chrisleys were pardoned by Trump after a personal appeal by their daughter, and several other pardons have been given out for similar fraud-related crimes. There is a quote from an assistant U.S. attorney in the linked article that says “Clearly, the White House is peddling influence and will pardon anyone who fits the ‘weaponization’ narrative or who has something to offer", which seems to legitimize your claim. A couple of business owners from New York have also been pardoned after being convicted for willfully employing a thrice-convicted felon, which further supports the speculation that these pardons are personally motivated given Trump's own conviction.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/01/chris-christie-trump-pardons-00379145

https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-grants-president-donald-j-trump-2025-present

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ago by Newbie (300 points)
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This comment is very informative and well-written. Your sources are solid and the facts are there to back up your claim. The only thing is that the U.S. Attorneys statement does not necessarily count as proof because it doesn't come from a first-hand source.
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ago by Novice (580 points)

While President Trump has not explicitly come out and stated that he pardoned Todd and Julie Christley because of shared beliefs it is congruent with his past pardons. Julie has even gone on record to say that she and her husband fully associate with Trump and are sympathetic to his cause. It's likely he pardoned this celebrity couple as a way of showing allegiance  to wealthy celebrities as Trump himself faced several felonies tied with with tax evasion and leaking of confidential documents.

Source:

https://apnews.com/article/julie-chrisley-todd-trump-pardons-federal-prison-9c508547bf5f6d57ae20f38c6821cecd

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ago by Newbie (220 points)
Yes, Trump indeed pardoned Todd and Julie Christley. They were convicted of 36 million dollars in tax fraud. Trump himself announced this Pardon. The sources you provided are valid sources for this topic, and the factual information provided in the sources is accurate on this topic. There are many other sources that agree with my claim such as:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/us/politics/trump-chrisley-pardon.html

https://apnews.com/article/julie-chrisley-todd-trump-pardons-federal-prison-9c508547bf5f6d57ae20f38c6821cecd
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