President Donald Trump has once again ignited a political firestorm by issuing full pardons to reality TV personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted in 2022 for defrauding banks out of more than $30 million and evading federal taxes.
The move, confirmed by the White House on Tuesday, prompted swift and sweeping backlash — not just from political opponents, but from legal analysts, commentators, and even members of the media.
Speaking directly to the Chrisleys’ children from the Oval Office, Trump said, “Your parents are going to be free and clean,” and promised they would be released imminently. He justified the decision by calling their sentences “pretty harsh,” despite the gravity of their crimes — which involved orchestrating an elaborate scheme using fake documents to secure massive loans and then dodging taxes for years.
Critics across the political spectrum pounced. Democratic strategist Harry Sisson blasted the decision as “actual insanity,” noting the Chrisleys’ conviction for large-scale financial fraud. He also linked the pardon to a pattern of favoritism, pointing out that Trump recently pardoned a Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery and another individual tied to campaign donations. “Blatant corruption,” Sisson called it.
Washington Post columnist Phillip Bump and Lawfare’s Anna Bower also criticized the move, with Bower highlighting the irony: the Chrisleys were indicted under Trump’s own administration by a U.S. attorney Trump later pressured to resign.
Further fueling controversy, their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, was a vocal supporter of Trump during the 2024 Republican National Convention. Her statement that her parents were “persecuted for their political beliefs” has been widely seen as an appeal for clemency. Now, that pardon is being interpreted as a reward for loyalty.
Adding another layer of complexity, the Trump pardons come on the heels of President Joe Biden’s own deeply controversial pardon of his son, Hunter Biden. Just months after repeatedly ruling out any presidential clemency, Biden reversed course, calling his son’s convictions a “miscarriage of justice.” Hunter, who had faced up to 42 years in prison for tax evasion and illegal gun possession, received a full and unconditional pardon after a Thanksgiving weekend with his father.
Republicans accused Biden of hypocrisy and deception. House Oversight Chairman James Comer said the president “lied from start to finish,” while some Democrats, including Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, publicly disagreed with the decision.
Trump, ever combative, used the moment to draw comparisons, asking if Biden’s pardon of Hunter would extend to January 6 rioters — whom he often refers to as “hostages.” The comment was a sharp reminder that Trump continues to view the Capitol riot through a lens of grievance and loyalty.
