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Trump Issues Series Of High-Profile Pardons To 2020 Election Allies

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President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

President Donald Trump has granted full pardons to his former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and several other key figures who were prosecuted for their roles in challenging the 2020 presidential election results โ€” a move the White House called a step toward โ€œnational reconciliation.โ€

In a proclamation posted late Sunday night, U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin listed dozens of individuals granted clemency โ€œfor certain offenses related to the 2020 presidential election.โ€

โ€œThis proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation,โ€ the statement reads.

The list includes several prominent names long accused by Democrats and federal prosecutors of contesting the election: Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Boris Epshteyn, and others.

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr


The proclamation, dated November 7, clarifies that it applies only to federal offenses and does not extend to President Trump himself.

Also included in the sweeping clemency order were Republican activists who had served as fake electors for Trump in 2020, and who faced charges for submitting fraudulent certificates asserting they were the lawful electors, despite former Presidentย Joe Bidenโ€™sย victories in those states.

Those pardoned include Republican activists who had served as alternate electors in 2020 and faced prosecution for asserting that Donald Trump โ€” not Joe Biden โ€” was the rightful winner in their states. Many of these individuals have maintained they were exercising constitutionally protected political activity.

Legal experts noted that the pardons do not affect state-level prosecutions, including ongoing cases in Georgia against several of Trumpโ€™s allies. Critics have long argued that these state prosecutions were politically motivated and part of a broader effort to criminalize dissent.

โ€œThese great Americans were persecuted and put through hell by the Biden Administration for challenging an election, which is the cornerstone of democracy,โ€ said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement to The Hill.
โ€œGetting prosecuted for challenging results is something that happens in communist Venezuela, not the United States of America, and President Trump is putting an end to the Biden Regimeโ€™s communist tactics once and for all,โ€ she continued.

Giuliani was disbarred from practicing law in New York State and the District of Columbia for making numerous false claims related to the 2020 presidential election. 

Several of those pardoned โ€” including Giuliani and Powell โ€” were instrumental in raising concerns about irregularities and integrity issues in the 2020 race. Giuliani, who was disbarred in New York and Washington, D.C., for questioning the election results, is now fully cleared of federal allegations.

Eastman, a constitutional scholar, and Clark, a former Justice Department official, were also included in the pardons after being unfairly portrayed as conspirators for exploring legal options available to the Trump campaign.

The move comes after Special Counsel Jack Smith dismissed the federal case against President Trump himself, following his reelection. Giuliani, Powell, Clark, and Eastman were previously identified as uncharged co-conspirators in that case.

Giuliani, Powell, Clark and Eastman were alleged co-conspirators in that federal case but were never charged with a federal crime.

DOJ Slams Alleged DC Pipe Bomberโ€™s Bid To Claim Trump Pardon

Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The Justice Department is forcefully pushing back against a striking legal claim from the man accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., on the eve of Jan. 6 โ€” that he was effectively pardoned by President Trump.

In a court filing Friday, prosecutors urged a federal judge to reject Brian Cole Jr.โ€™s attempt to have his charges thrown out, calling his argument flatly incompatible with the โ€œclear and unambiguous termsโ€ of Trumpโ€™s sweeping Jan. 6 clemency order.

Cole, who was arrested in December 2025 after years of investigation, is accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021 โ€” just hours before rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The devices never detonated, but the FBI has said they were functional and viable, raising the stakes of a case that remained unsolved for nearly five years.

Earlier this year, Coleโ€™s lawyers made a bold move: They argued that his actions were โ€œinextricably and demonstrably tetheredโ€ to the events of Jan. 6 โ€” and therefore covered by Trumpโ€™s mass pardon of people tied to the attack.

They pointed to the broad language in Trumpโ€™s order, which applies to offenses โ€œrelated toโ€ events at or near the Capitol, and noted that Cole allegedly traveled to Washington for an election protest tied to the same political moment that fueled the riot.

But the Justice Department isnโ€™t buying it.

โ€œThe defendant ignores that the proclamation expressly limited relief to individuals who had been โ€˜convicted of,โ€™ or had a โ€˜pending indictmentโ€™ for, offenses related to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6,โ€ U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro wrote.

That distinction, prosecutors argue, is decisive.

When Trumpโ€™s pardon took effect on Jan. 20, 2025, Cole had not yet been charged โ€” putting him outside the scope of the order entirely.

โ€œThe defendant belonged to neither category, and so the proclamation has no bearing on this case,โ€ Pirro wrote.

Cole was indicted weeks later, in January 2026, on charges including interstate transportation of explosives and malicious attempt to use them.

Prosecutors also made clear that even a broader reading of the pardon wouldnโ€™t help him.

โ€œEven if the Court somehow found, notwithstanding its text, that the proclamation could apply to this case,โ€ Pirro wrote, the Justice Departmentโ€™s interpretation should still prevail as a โ€œconsistent, reasonableโ€ reading by the agency tasked with enforcing it.

The clash sets up a high-stakes test of how far Trumpโ€™s Jan. 6 pardons can stretch โ€” and whether conduct that happened before the riot, but is arguably connected to it, can fall under their umbrella.

For now, the Justice Departmentโ€™s position is blunt: Not this case. Not this defendant.

READ NEXT: Congressmanโ€™s Sudden Death Upends Key Race

Mike Lindell Appears To Be Served Lawsuit During Live Interview

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Mike Lindell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO and a prominent Trump ally, appeared to be served with legal papers during a live interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, in an interruption that quickly drew attention online.

Lindell was speaking on camera with Michael Casey, a correspondent for Oโ€™Keefe Media Group, at the event in Grapevine, Texas, when a woman stepped into frame holding documents. In footage shared by Casey, the woman approached Lindell mid-interview and said: โ€œHi, sorry to interrupt. I have this for you. Youโ€™ve been served.โ€

Casey described the woman as a โ€œderanged leftist,โ€ though her identity and the nature of the documents have not been independently confirmed.

Lindell attempted to continue the interview, repeatedly asking the woman to move out of the shot. โ€œWeโ€™re on TV here, please. Weโ€™re on TV, please. OK, weโ€™re on TV,โ€ he said, gesturing for her to step aside.

Watch:

As Casey pressed the woman about what she was delivering, Lindell added: โ€œIโ€™m not accepting it.โ€ The woman insisted the papers had been served regardless. Lindell briefly took the documents before tossing them off camera behind him and continuing the interview.

It remains unclear whether the incident involved a legitimate legal filing or was a staged disruption. No details about the alleged lawsuit were immediately available.

Lindell has been a close ally of former President Donald Trump and one of his most vocal supporters since the 2020 election. He has repeatedly promoted Trumpโ€™s false claims that the election was stolen, using his platform, LindellTV, to amplify those assertions. Trump has publicly praised Lindell in the past, often highlighting his loyalty and willingness to fund efforts challenging the election results.

That alignment has also placed Lindell at the center of multiple legal battles. He has faced defamation lawsuits from voting technology companies over his election claims, and earlier this week, he lost a bid to overturn a related defamation verdict.

Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn Arrested

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Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn was briefly arrested this week in Cape Coral, Florida โ€” yet the setback may not slow what many believe is a mounting effort to reenter national politics.

Authorities took Cawthorn into custody on a warrant stemming from an August 19 citation for driving without a valid license in Naples. He was released shortly thereafter on a $2,000 bond and is expected to appear in court to resolve the matter. Supporters have dismissed the incident as a minor technicality, unlikely to derail his ambitions.


From Conservative Trailblazer to Political Lightning Rod

Cawthorn burst onto the national stage in 2020 as one of the youngest Republicans ever elected to Congress, winning his North Carolina seat at just 25 years old. He quickly became a symbol of youthful conservative energy and unapologetic defiance of the Washington establishment.

But his meteoric rise ran into turbulence during his lone term. In early 2022, he alleged that some D.C. elites had invited him to a cocaine-fueled โ€œorgy,โ€ a claim that drew sharp criticism from GOP leadership. Weeks later, police body camera footage showed him being pulled over while driving a car he mistakenly believed he owned, and he was also cited for bringing a firearm through airport security โ€” his second such incident in less than a year.

Republican leadership, once supportive, gradually distanced themselves. The controversies overshadowed his legislative work and contributed to his loss in the 2022 Republican primary.


Florida Could Offer a Second Act

Now, Cawthorn may be plotting a political revival โ€” this time from Floridaโ€™s 19th Congressional District, where Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is expected to step down to run for governor. Axios recently reported that Cawthorn has been exploring a run to fill the soon-to-be-open seat, potentially offering him a clean slate and new political base in one of the countryโ€™s most Republican-leaning regions.

If he enters the race, Cawthorn could return to Washington older, more seasoned, and still armed with the anti-establishment instincts that made him a grassroots favorite. For many conservatives, his resilience โ€” and willingness to challenge entrenched power โ€” could be the very qualities the GOP needs in its next generation of leadership. for the second time in nine months.

Appeals Court Rejects Trump Request To Stay Criminal Sentencing

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Just in…

The New York Court of Appeals has denied a motion filed byย President-elect Donald Trumpย to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing in the New York v. Trump case.

New York Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing date in the case earlier this month, ahead of hisย inauguration as presidentย on Jan. 20.ย 

Trump filed a motion to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing with the New York State Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The New York Court of Appeals denied Trump’s request Thursday morning. The status of his appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court is pending.

Trump remains set to be sentenced on Friday, Jan. 10, at 9:30 a.m., pending the Supreme Court’s decision. He plans to attend virtually.ย 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Secret Service Investigating Former FBI Director Over Alleged โ€˜Assassinationโ€™ Threat

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A former FBI official is being investigated over his alleged threats against President Trump.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretaryย Kristi Noemย accused former FBI Directorย James Comeyย of calling for President Trumpโ€™s โ€œassassination,โ€ saying federal law enforcement authorities are now investigating the โ€œthreat.โ€

โ€œDisgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,โ€ Noem wrote on the social platform X on Thursday evening.

โ€œDHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,โ€ she added.

Comey, a longtime critic of Trump’s, posted a photo earlier Thursday on Instagram of seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers โ€œ8647.โ€ The post garnered significant blowback from much of Trumpโ€™s base, with many understanding the numbers to be a call for violence against the 47th president, Trump. Others suggested the โ€œ86โ€ could be calling for the president to be impeached or removed from office.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Comey removed the photo Thursday evening and clarified in a new post that he did not intend to call for violence and didnโ€™t realize his message would be interpreted that way.

โ€œI posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,โ€ Comey wrote on Instagram.

โ€œI didnโ€™t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,โ€ he continued. โ€œIt never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.โ€

In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson for the Secret Service said the agency โ€œvigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees.โ€

โ€œWe take this responsibility very seriously and we are aware of the social media posts in question,โ€ the spokesperson continued. โ€œBeyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.โ€

FBI Directorย Kash Patelย also weighed in on the matter in a post Thursday.

โ€œWe are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed atย President Trump,โ€ Patel wrote on X.

โ€œWe are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support,โ€ he continued.

Ex-Federal Prosecutor Indicted For Stealing Copies Of Unreleased Jack Smith Report

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A former federal prosecutor has been indicted after allegedly taking copies of a still-unreleased volume of former special counsel Jack Smithโ€™s report on his investigation into President Donald Trump โ€” and allegedly disguising the files with names like โ€œChocolate_Cake_Recipe.pdf.โ€

The case is raising fresh questions surrounding the highly controversial legal effort against Trump and how officials involved in the process handled sensitive government materials.

Federal prosecutors charged former Justice Department official Carmen Lineberger, 62, with four counts tied to allegedly stealing and concealing government records. During a court appearance Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, Lineberger pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance.

According to the indictment, Lineberger โ€” formerly the managing assistant U.S. attorney in Fort Pierce, Florida โ€” received a restricted copy of a volume of Smithโ€™s report last year and allegedly forwarded it, along with internal Justice Department communications, to personal Hotmail and Gmail accounts.

Prosecutors claim she attempted to conceal the transfer by changing file names to appear harmless, including โ€œChocolate_Cake_Recipe.pdfโ€ and โ€œBundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf.โ€

The indictment, however, does not allege why Lineberger moved the files to personal accounts, nor does it accuse her of leaking the materials publicly. Court records also do not specify what other internal DOJ records may have been transferred alongside the Smith report.

If convicted on all charges โ€” including obstruction of justice, concealing government records, and two misdemeanor theft counts โ€” Lineberger faces a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in prison, though actual sentences in federal cases are often significantly shorter under sentencing guidelines.

The report at the center of the controversy remains largely hidden from public view.

The volume reportedly focuses on Smithโ€™s investigation into classified documents found at Trumpโ€™s Mar-a-Lago residence after he left office. That investigation became one of Smithโ€™s two major prosecutions against Trump during the 2024 election cycle.

Smith, appointed as special counsel in late 2022, led the federal governmentโ€™s aggressive legal campaign against Trump. Beyond the Mar-a-Lago documents case, he also spearheaded the federal election interference prosecution tied to Trumpโ€™s challenges to the 2020 election results.

Trump repeatedly blasted Smith as politically motivated and accused the Biden-era Justice Department of weaponizing federal law enforcement against him. His supporters argued that prosecutors were applying legal standards differently to Trump than to political allies and opponents.

The classified documents case eventually suffered major setbacks after Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that Smithโ€™s appointment as special counsel violated constitutional requirements, throwing the future of the prosecution into uncertainty. Cannon also barred public release of the report volume involved in the current Lineberger case.

Now, the strange allegations involving hidden โ€œcake recipeโ€ file names are creating another unexpected chapter in the long-running legal and political saga surrounding Smithโ€™s investigations of Trump.

Mexican President Pushes Back On Trump’s Latest Cartel Proposal

By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

Mexicoโ€™s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, says she had โ€œa very good conversationโ€ with President Donald Trump on Monday โ€” a call that focused heavily on cartel violence, cross-border drug trafficking, and the Trump administrationโ€™s push for tougher action against transnational criminal groups

The call lasted about 15 minutes and came after Sheinbaum said she requested direct dialogue with the Trump administration, following a week of escalating rhetoric from Trump about the cartels and Mexicoโ€™s security crisis.

A familiar dispute: U.S. military action vs. Mexican sovereignty

Trump has repeatedly suggested the United States could use the U.S. military to strike cartel networks inside Mexico โ€” an idea that resonates with many Republican voters who view the cartels as a direct national-security threat tied to fentanyl deaths, human trafficking, and illegal immigration.

Sheinbaum, however, again rejected the idea of U.S. intervention, signaling that her government wants continued security cooperation, but on Mexicoโ€™s terms.

Trump โ€œstill insisted that if we ask for it, they could helpโ€ with military forces, Sheinbaum said, adding that she rejected the offer again:

โ€œWe told him, so far itโ€™s going very well, itโ€™s not necessary, and furthermore there is Mexicoโ€™s sovereignty and territorial integrity and he understood.โ€

For Republican-leaning audiences, the tension here is straightforward: Mexico wants U.S. support โ€” but not U.S. control, even as American communities continue facing the fallout of cartel-driven fentanyl trafficking.

Trump presses the issue: โ€œThe cartels are running Mexicoโ€

Trumpโ€™s posture has been consistent: treat cartels like the enemy force they are.

In a Fox News interview aired last week, he said:

โ€œWeโ€™ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. Itโ€™s very sad to watch.โ€

That message plays to a key Republican argument: the U.S. cannot allow criminal organizations to operate with near-military power just across the border, especially when those groups fuel drug deaths and destabilize communities on both sides.

Venezuela raid adds new weight to Trumpโ€™s threats

The conversation also came in the wake of a dramatic U.S. operation in Venezuela โ€” the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduro โ€” which Sheinbaum said Trump raised directly.

โ€œHe (Trump) asked me my opinion about what they had done in Venezuela and I told him very clearly that our constitution is very clear, that we do not agree with interventions and that was it,โ€ Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaumโ€™s comments reflect a longstanding Mexican government position against foreign military interventions, but the timing matters: the Venezuela operation has made leaders across the region take Trumpโ€™s warnings more seriously โ€” including when he talks about Mexico, Cuba, and even Greenland. AP News+1

Rubio demands โ€œtangible resultsโ€ from Mexico

The Trump administrationโ€™s pressure campaign hasnโ€™t been limited to the president.

Mexicoโ€™s Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramรณn de la Fuente spoke Sunday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for โ€œtangible resultsโ€ and more cooperation to dismantle cartel power, according to the U.S. State Department.

That demand reflects what many Republican voters have argued for years: Mexico must do more than make promises โ€” it must deliver measurable enforcement.

Sheinbaum claims progress โ€” and wants credit

Sheinbaum said Mexico shared results with the U.S. side, including:

  • a significant drop in homicides
  • falling U.S. fentanyl seizures
  • lower fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S.

Even so, U.S. officials and border-state Republicans have frequently questioned whether Mexicoโ€™s progress is durable and nationwide, or simply temporary or concentrated in certain regions while cartels continue adapting.

Why intervention is still unlikely โ€” for now

Experts say U.S. intervention in Mexico remains unlikely because Mexico is currently doing much of what Washington has requested and remains one of Americaโ€™s most important economic partners. But they also expect Trump to keep using hardline rhetoric to maintain pressure.

Cuba left out โ€” but still a point of friction

Sheinbaum said the two leaders did not discuss Cuba, even though Trump has recently threatened action related to the island. Mexico remains an important ally of Cuba, including through oil shipments, which have become even more significant now that the Trump administration has moved to stop Venezuelan oil from reaching Cuba.

NYC Mayor โ€˜Welcomesโ€™ Possible Trump Support After Corruption Indictment

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams is looking for support anywhere he can get it.

Adams said he would โ€œwelcome support from every Americanโ€ in response to aย questionย from theย Washington Examinerย about whether he would accept former Presidentย Donald Trumpโ€™sย favor.

Trump recently said he had predicted Adams would be โ€œindicted within a yearโ€ as the mayor called for federal government funds to deal with the cityโ€™s migrant crisis.

โ€œListen, I welcome support from every American,โ€ Adams said Tuesday at a press conference. โ€œNo matter where they are and who they are, I welcome support from every American. Those who know me and know how I am, and those who are just reading up on this. So every American in this great country, I welcome support from.โ€

Trumpโ€™s comments last week suggested that he sympathized with the mayor.

โ€œI watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us, and we shouldnโ€™t have to take them,โ€ the former president said. โ€œAnd I said, โ€˜You know what? Heโ€™ll be indicted within a year,โ€™ and I was exactly right.โ€

Watch:

An Adams spokesman believes press coverage of Adamsโ€™s remarks has been misguided.

โ€œThis is a distortion of what the mayor said today,โ€ Fabien Levy, Adamsโ€™s deputy mayor for communications, said in a social media post. โ€œHe never said he was looking for Trumpโ€™s support. Mayor Adams has said multiple times that he supports Kamala Harris for president. In fact, the mayor traveled to Chicago to support her historic nomination in August.โ€

Adams was recently indicted on five corruption charges, including bribery and wire fraud, for his actions allegedly soliciting benefits from foreign nationals, namely Turkish government officials, in exchange for favors.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams could be facing a bevy of new charges after being indicted last week in a federal corruption case. On Wednesday, prosecutors said that further counts are โ€œquite likelyโ€ and that more defendants may be implicated.

Trump Issues Pardons To 5 Former NFL Stars

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On Thursday evening, President Trump issued pardons to five former NFL players.

White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson announced this week that several former professional football players have been granted presidential pardons, underscoring what the administration described as the power of redemption and second chances.

Among those granted clemency were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon.

โ€œAs football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,โ€ Johnson wrote in a post on X.

Johnson also said that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shared the news โ€œpersonallyโ€ with Newton, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Cowboys during the teamโ€™s 1990s dynasty.

Klecko, a former New York Jets standout and Pro Football Hall of Famer, pleaded guilty to perjury after lying to a federal grand jury investigating an insurance fraud scheme.

Newton, a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge in 2001 after authorities found $10,000 in cash in his pickup truck and 175 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle traveling with him.

Lewis, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2003, pleaded guilty in 2000 to using a cellphone to attempt to facilitate a drug deal shortly after being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Henry, a Pro Bowl running back who played for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine in connection with financing a drug ring that operated between Colorado and Montana.

Cannon, the 1959 Heisman Trophy winner at LSU who later starred for the Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders, admitted in the mid-1980s to his role in a counterfeiting scheme. He died in 2018. His pardon was granted posthumously.

Presidential Pardons and Clemency

Under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the president has broad authority to grant pardons and commutations for federal offenses. The power has long been used by presidents of both parties to extend mercy, correct perceived injustices, and offer individuals a second chance after they have served their sentences.

President Donald Trump made use of that authority throughout his first term, often highlighting cases he believed reflected excessive sentencing or personal rehabilitation. His clemency decisions ranged from high-profile political figures to criminal justice reform cases, including Alice Marie Johnson herself. Johnson, who had been serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense, was granted clemency by Trump in 2018 after serving more than two decades in prison. Her case became a symbol for advocates of criminal justice reform and second chances.

Since then, Johnson has played a visible role in clemency advocacy, working with the administration to review cases and elevate stories of individuals seeking pardons.