In a move that has reignited debate over presidential clemency powers, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced his intention to pardon reality television personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley, who are currently serving prison sentences for tax evasion and bank fraud.
“It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean,” Trump said during a phone call with the couple’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley.
“I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” he added, according to a video posted on X by Margo Martin, special assistant to the president and communications advisor.
“I don’t know them, but give them my regards,” Trump said.
The Chrisleys, known for their hit show “Chrisley Knows Best,” were convicted in 2022 of engaging in a complex scheme to defraud community banks in the Atlanta area of over $36 million in personal loans. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, they also “conspired to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.”
Todd Chrisley received a 12-year sentence, while Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Trump has issued several headline-making pardons since returning to office, many of them involving individuals convicted of nonviolent, white-collar offenses. The latest decision fits into a broader pattern of pardons aimed at what Trump and his allies describe as victims of prosecutorial overreach.
“The President is always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in a statement to NBC News on Tuesday night.
Savannah Chrisley, who has been vocal in defense of her parents, previously told PEOPLE magazine in February that she was “going through the proper channels” in her efforts to secure a pardon. She also took the stage at the Republican National Convention last year, where she criticized the prosecutors involved in her parents’ case.
Late Tuesday, the Chrisleys’ attorney confirmed the presidential action and welcomed the development.
“This pardon corrects a deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community,” said Alex Little, a partner at Litson PLLC, in a statement.
He added that his clients “will soon be released from prison” as a result of the president’s intervention.
The announcement is likely to fuel ongoing discussions about presidential discretion in the pardon process, particularly in cases involving high-profile figures and claims of prosecutorial misconduct.
