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US President Donald Trump has issued extensive pardons to key associates accused of attempting to undermine the 2020 election, according to Ed Martin, the administration’s pardon attorney, on Sunday.
Martin released a list on X that includes over 70 individuals, including Trump’s former lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, as well as his ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows, who were granted “full, complete and unconditional” pardons.
The individuals listed were involved in a plan to manipulate electoral slates in crucial states such as Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan, which Joe Biden had won in his successful 2020 presidential campaign.
This scheme, backed by Trump and his associates, contributed to a rally that escalated into a violent mob assaulting the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Although none of those mentioned in the four-page pardons document faced federal charges, the order could hinder future administrations from prosecuting the alleged co-conspirators.
Also included are John Eastman, a lawyer who suggested tactics to block the certification of the election results, and Boris Epshteyn, a longtime advisor to Trump.
Trump has consistently claimed he has the authority to pardon himself for federal offences, but he has not yet tested that claim.
In the document issuing pardons for actions “related to the 2020 Presidential Election” or concerning “efforts to reveal voting fraud,” Trump stated that “this pardon does not extend to the President of the United States.”
