In less than two weeks, President-elect Donald Trump will make his return to the White House. As Jan. 20 approaches, one of his special presidential powers is being widely discussed.
Trump will once again have the ability to grant pardons to those who have committed federal crimes, voicing his potential choices ahead of Inauguration Day.
Will any Floridians be among those pardoned in Trump’s first days? Here’s what to know.
What does ‘pardoning’ mean? Why does the president have that power?
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a “pardon” is an expression of forgiveness and can help eliminate some of the consequences of a conviction.
The president can grant a pardon to a person who was convicted in a United States District Court, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, or a military court-martial.
According to Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 within the Constitution: “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
Will Donald Trump pardon the Florida Jan. 6 rioters?
As of Jan. 7, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice lists more than 140 people with Florida connections charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots. And soon, some of them could be free.
Back on Jan. 6, 2021, supporters of then-President Donald Trump gathered for a rally in Washington D.C. and marched on the Capitol. After fiery speeches from Trump and others, the rioters stormed the Capitol, attacking police and breaking windows and doors to get in where they roamed the halls, vandalized offices, and threatened the lives of Vice-President Mike Pence, who refused to overturn the election results, and members of Congress, many of whom fled or barricaded themselves in their offices.
More than 140 have been charged: Will Trump pardon the Jan. 6 rioters from Florida?
Nearly 1,600 people have been charged in total, more than 1,251 people have been convicted or pleaded guilty and 645 have been sentenced to prison, with punishments ranging from a few days to 22 years, according to the Justice Department.
However, Trump said on Tuesday he planned to issue “major pardons” for the Jan. 6 rioters.
“People that didn’t even walk into the building are in jail right now. So we’ll be looking at the whole thing but I’ll be making major pardons, yes,” Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago home.
Karoline Leavitt, who Trump has chosen as his White House spokesperson, issued a statement saying he would “make pardon decisions on a case-by-case basis. USA TODAY reported a “surge” of suspects seeking to delay their trials until after Jan. 20.
Will Todd Chrisley pardon jailed television star Todd Chrisley?
Reality TV star Todd Chrisley was born April 6, 1969. Chrisley and his wife, Julie Chrisley, were found guilty of tax evasion and bank fraud and began serving their prison sentences in Pensacola, Florida, and Lexington, Kentucky, respectively, in January 2023.
Savannah Chrisley, daughter of jailed reality TV stars Todd and Julie, penned a letter to the House Judiciary Committee and the Bureau of Prisons last November to discuss corruption at the prisons. Between the letter and her appearances at Trump’s events, some think Savannah is advocating the President-elect to pardon her parents.
Todd and Julie Chrisley were found guilty of committing tax evasion and defrauding community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans in June 2022. Julie Chrisley was additionally convicted of obstruction of justice and wire fraud.
The couple was first sentenced to 12 and seven years in prison, respectively, in November of 2022. In addition to their prison sentences, news outlets reported that they each received an order of 16 months probation from U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross in Atlanta.
Todd began his 12-year sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola on Jan. 17, 2023. However, it was announced last month the prison would be permanently closed due to a “critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure, and limited budgetary resources.”
According to FBOP records, Todd Chrisley will be released on June 11, 2032, two years sooner than his original sentence.
Julie, 51, is serving time at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Her sentence was reduced by 14 months and will be released on March. 23, 2028. Back in September, her request for a reduced sentence was rejected by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross.
Could Trump pardon himself?
Technically, yes.
In the Constitution, there is no language specifying who may or may not be the subject of a pardon. The president is simply given the power to pardon any federal crime.
It is a more complicated question whether the South Florida resident would actually do so. Forbes also mentions that the Constitution prohibits Trump from pardoning cases at the state level, which rules out his ability to pardon himself in his New York criminal fraud case and his Fulton County, Georgia, election interference case.
He previously brought up the idea back in 2018.
Which Floridians did Trump pardon in his first term?
Lil Wayne comes out of the CU football locker room to give a live pregame performace before the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Sept. 16, 2023 at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo.
Trump issued a total of 144 pardons during his first four years in office, including those jailed in Florida:
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Mary Ballard McCarty – Conspiracy to commit honest services fraud
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Cesar Agusto Lozada – Conspiracy to distribute marijuana
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James Harutun Batmasian – Willful failure to pay over-tax
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Paul L. Behrens – Making false statements relating to health care matters (two counts); health care fraud (two counts)
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Thaddeus M. S. Bereday – Making false statements relating to healthcare matters
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Peter E. Clay – Making false statements (two counts)
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Todd S. Farha – Healthcare fraud (two counts)
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William L. Kale – Healthcare fraud (two counts)
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Robert Douglas Bowker – Wildlife smuggling
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Dwayne “Lil’ Wayne” Michael Carter – Possession of firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon
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Abel Holtz – Obstruction of justice
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Desiree Perez fka Desiree Reynos – Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; Probation violation
When does Donald Trump take office for the second time?
Inauguration Day will take place on Monday, Jan. 20.
Typically, Inauguration Day occurs on Jan. 20 (or Jan. 21 if Jan. 20 falls on a Sunday), every four years. The inauguration ceremony is held outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Donald Trump pardons ahead. What about Todd and Julie Chrisley?