The reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were pardoned on Tuesday by President Donald Trump.
Todd and Julie rose to fame starring in the reality TV show Chrisley Knows Best with their family. The show aired on USA from 2014 until 2023.
In June of 2022, both Todd, 56, and Julie, 52, were found guilty of defrauding banks out of $30 million. They have been incarcerated ever since.
Julie has been behind bars at Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. She had been set to remain there until January of 2028. Meanwhile, Todd has been serving his time at FPC Pensacola. Before the pardon, he was going to be kept there until April of 2032.
Backstory: Chrisley Knows Best Stars’ Convicted Of Financial Fraud
Chrisleys Get Pardoned
Both the Chrisleys have always maintained their innocence. Their daughter Savannah, 27, has been fiercely advocating for their release. President Trump called her personally on Tuesday to let her know that they will be pardoned.
“That’s a terrible thing, that’s a terrible thing,” the president told Savannah in a call from the Oval Office. “But it’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean and I hope we can do it by tomorrow, is that OK?”
“I don’t know them, but them give my regards,” he continued. “Wish them a good life.”
The Chrisley’s son Grayson, 19, could be heard thanking Trump on the phone call.
“Mr. President, I just want to say thank you for bringing my parents back,” Grayson said.
Lawyer Weighs In
Alex Little, a partner at Litson PLLC., spoke out to explain that the pardon came after a petition that he claimed exposed “serious misconduct” by federal prosecutors. He also said that it revealed major violations of the Chrisleys’ constitutional rights.
“This pardon corrects a deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community,” Little told Fox 5 Atlanta. “President Trump recognized what we’ve argued from the beginning: Todd and Julie were targeted because of their conservative values and high profile. Their prosecution was tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political bias.”
“Todd and Julie’s case is exactly why the pardon power exists: to correct misguided prosecutions and reaffirm basic constitutional protections,” he continued. “Thanks to President Trump, the Chrisley family can now begin healing and rebuilding their lives.”
Related: Here’s What ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic Is Doing To Get A Pardon From Trump
Savannah’s Fight For The Pardon
Savannah has yet to speak out about the pardons at the time of this writing. However, back in February, she told People Magazine that she was hoping that the president would pardon them.
“I know that I am going through the proper channels to do so, and I’m going to bring as much awareness to it as possible because these things should not happen,” Savannah said at the time.
“We thought it was going to end differently,” she continued. Savannah added that they “had lawyers who had told us it was going to end differently. We stood in the truth, and we stood in what we knew to be the truth.”
Savannah went on to say that they “saw the corruption in Fulton County. We saw how the judge handled the case. We just saw all of it and we’re like, ‘There’s no way. There’s no way it’s going to end this way.’ But it did.”
Watch Savannah talk more about this last month in the video below.
The Chrisleys themselves have yet to comment on the pardon. We will update you further as this story develops.
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