Trump pardons 6 people for Clean Air Act violations after White House meeting

By Alayna Treene, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he signed pardons for six people who he argued were “persecuted by the Biden Administration” for violating clean-air and emissions laws.

“It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for ‘fixing their car.’” Trump posted to Truth Social, adding that he believes they were victims of a weaponized Justice Department. “I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!”

Trump did not identify those he said had been pardoned or offer more precise details on the allegations they faced.

The president met with senior officials earlier on Friday to discuss the slate of new pardons, a senior White House official told CNN. They said the pardons relate to people who have been convicted of violating the Clean Air Act, a comprehensive federal law that aimed to cut down on emissions and improve air quality.

The Justice Department had ordered federal prosecutors earlier this year to drop criminal investigations and abandon pending cases related to “defeat devices” — software used to bypass emissions controls.

The typical jockeying for pardons has ramped up significantly under the Trump administration. The president himself has taken an increasingly personal role in the government’s clemency process, wielding pardons with historic frequency to aid allies and advance his own political grievances, CNN previously reported.

The effort has been managed by a small clutch of senior aides and advisers, including White House special counsel David Warrington, chief of staff Susie Wiles and US Pardon Attorney Ed Martin. Most cases are initially considered by Warrington, in coordination with Martin and the Justice Department, and those parties take their handpicked candidates to Wiles for review, as CNN previously reported.

Warrington and Wiles then bring Trump their pardon picks so he can make a final decision.

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