President Donald Trump pardoned several people convicted of violating the Clean Air Act, saying they were unfairly prosecuted by the Biden administration for “simply fixing” their vehicles.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced the pardons, arguing the defendants had been unjustly targeted.
“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 wrote. “While I know this sounds ridiculous, it is nevertheless a fact, and part of the Weaponization and Stupidity that our Country had to endure during four long years of Sleepy Joe Biden. I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!”
According to a White House official, those receiving pardons had been prosecuted for circumventing emissions-control regulations under the Clean Air Act that are no longer in effect.
“It came to my attention because I noticed they were arresting people for fixing their car,” Trump said during an Oval Office news conference. “We rule by common sense.”
The pardons coincide with the administration’s broader push to expand what it calls the “right to repair.” Earlier in the week, Trump signed a memorandum titled “Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix,” which aims to make it easier for consumers and independent repair shops to repair vehicles and obtain aftermarket parts.
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CNN also reported that the Trump Justice Department earlier this year instructed federal prosecutors to abandon pending criminal cases and investigations involving so-called “defeat devices,” software designed to bypass vehicle emissions controls.
Those receiving pardons include Joshua Davis, Matt Geouge, Jonathan Achtemeier, Tim Clancy, Ryan Lalone, Wade Lalone, Barry Pierce, Aaron Rudolf and Mackenzie Spurlock.
Biden administration officials defended the prosecutions as necessary to protect public health.
The New York Times described the pardons as “the latest move by the Trump administration to undermine laws intended to fight climate change and curb air pollutants that harm human health.”
The newspaper also reported that Republicans and business groups have argued enforcement of the Clean Air Act has imposed unnecessary burdens on commerce and diesel engine owners.
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