Donald Trump pardons Rudy Giuliani and others who backed efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss

"The move, however, underscores Trump's continued efforts to promote the idea that the 2020 election was stolen from him even though courts around the country and U.S. officials found no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome. It follows the sweeping pardons of the hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, including those convicted of attacking law enforcement."

"Among those also pardoned were Sidney Powell, an attorney who promoted baseless conspiracy theories about a stolen election, John Eastman, another lawyer who pushed a plan to keep Trump in power, and Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who championed Trump's efforts to challenge his election loss. Also named were Republicans who acted as fake electors for Trump and were charged in state cases accusing them of submitting false certificates that confirmed they were legitimate electors despite Biden's victory in those states."

"The full, complete, and unconditional pardon applies only to federal crimes, and none of the dozens of Trump allies named in the proclamation were ever charged federally over the bid to subvert the election won by Democrat Joe Biden. It doesn't impact state charges, though state prosecutions stemming from the 2020 election have hit a dead end or are just limping along."

President Donald Trump issued full, complete, and unconditional pardons to Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and other allies accused of backing efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The pardons apply only to federal crimes and do not affect state charges, and none of the named allies had been charged federally over the bid to subvert the election. The action reinforces promotion of claims that the 2020 election was stolen despite courts and U.S. officials finding no evidence of fraud that could have changed the outcome. Named recipients include Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark and several fake electors. The proclamation states it does not apply to the president.

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