CaliToday (10/11/2025): The presidential pardons apply only to federal charges and do not impact state-level cases, such as the one in Georgia.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping order granting pardons to 77 allies, including high-profile figures Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, who faced federal investigations or charges related to their roles in challenging the 2020 presidential election.
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| Giuliani also served as personal attorney to former President Donald Trump. |
The list of pardons, which was signed by President Trump on Friday and publicly announced Sunday evening, was confirmed by the U.S. Pardon Attorney, Ed Martin.
The move is described by the administration as a historic step to end a "serious injustice in national history and promote national reconciliation."
Who Was Pardoned?
The list of 77 individuals includes some of President Trump's closest advisors and legal strategists from the post-2020 period. Notable figures include:
Rudy Giuliani: Trump's former personal attorney, who spearheaded legal challenges to the 2020 results.
Mark Meadows: The former White House Chief of Staff.
John Eastman: The attorney who authored key legal memos on challenging the election certification.
Sidney Powell: An attorney who filed multiple lawsuits alleging widespread fraud.
Boris Epshteyn: A senior campaign advisor.
Christina Bobb: A lawyer involved in the post-election efforts.
The pardons also extend to numerous Republican "alternate electors" from several battleground states, who were investigated for submitting their own slates of electoral votes to Congress.
The White House noted that President Trump himself was not included on the list, as the federal charges against him related to the 2020 election had been previously dropped following his re-election.
The Federal vs. State Limitation
Legal experts were quick to point out the crucial limitation of the presidential order: A presidential pardon applies only to federal offenses.
The pardons have no legal effect on active state-level prosecutions.
This distinction is critical, as Giuliani, Meadows, Eastman, and others remain co-defendants in the high-profile RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) case in Fulton County, Georgia. Sunday's federal pardons do not shield them from those state charges.
A Sharply Divided Reaction
The announcement immediately triggered a political firestorm, drawing praise from supporters and sharp condemnation from critics.
Supporters on social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), celebrated the decision as "justice restored." Conservative commentators echoed the Pardon Attorney's framing, calling the pardons a "brave step" to end the "weaponization of the justice system" that they allege occurred during the Biden administration.
Outlets like Fox News and the New York Post have framed the move as a major political victory for President Trump, asserting that he is "restoring faith in justice and patriotism."
Opponents and progressive groups, however, immediately decried the move as a "gross abuse of pardon power" and an attempt to shield political allies from accountability.
The pardons effectively close the book on the federal legal jeopardy for dozens of figures involved in the 2020 election challenges, while simultaneously intensifying the legal and political focus on the remaining state-level cases.