President Trump is pardoning nearly a dozen people who faced punishment for modifying cars and trucks in violation of emissions standards and other rules.
Mr. Trump said Friday the offenses resulted from environmental overreach during the Biden administration.
The president said it was his “great honor” to pardon people who “were in, or being sent to, prison, for ‘fixing their car.’”
“I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!” the president said on social media.
A White House official detailed pardons for 11 persons.
Their names are Joshua Davis, Matt Geouge, Jonathan Achtemeier, Tim Clancy, Ryan and Wade Lalone, Barry Pierce, Aaron Rudolf, Adam Kidan, Mackenzie Spurlock and Jack Harvard, according to the official.
The White House described their offenses, at least for most of them, as related to repairs to circumvent the prior administration’s regulations.
“The Biden administration’s crushing environmental regulations on emissions controls not only killed vehicles but businesses too, including small business owner and Army veteran Mr. Clancy’s,” a White House official said, referring to one of the persons. “Thanks to President Trump, Americans have the right to safely tune their and Mr. Clancy should not be criminalized for a policy that is no longer in effect.”
The official said Mr. Pierce, for instance, “tried to modify and repair trucks on his own but received egregious penalties and served time in prison.”
“Such restrictions to the free market under the Biden administration are no longer in effect, and thus Mr. Pierce should be a free man with a clean slate,” the official said.
Others, such as Mr. Harvard, received a pardon because he had an upstanding record post-conviction.
“After prison, Mr. Harvard turned his life around by committing himself to public service — protecting and raising endangered animals on his ranch, and allowing the US military and NATO troops to train on his land free of charge,” the official said.
Mr. Trump recently signed a “Freedom to Fix” memorandum saying consumers and independent repair shops must be provided with the same diagnostic and repair information they provide to franchised dealers.
The Environmental Protection Agency said the rules hindered independent businesses and forced consumers to travel long distances for repairs.
