skip to contentAdvertisementThe list includes several high-profile names central to Trump’s attempts to subvert Joe Biden’s victory.By: Express Web Desk November 10, 2025 11:59 AM IST First published on: Nov 10, 2025 at 11:54 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookGiuliani and Meadows were among those granted “full, complete and unconditional” pardons by Trump. (AP Photo)US President Donald Trump has issued sweeping pardons to dozens of his close allies who aided his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, according to a document posted online by Justice Department Pardon Attorney Ed Martin on Sunday night, Politico reported. The list includes several high-profile names central to Trump’s attempts to subvert Joe Biden’s victory, among them Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, and Boris Epshteyn.Giuliani, who led efforts to pressure state legislatures to reject Biden’s win, and Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff during the final year of his presidency, were both among the recipients of what the Justice Department called “full, complete, and unconditional” pardons.Eastman and Chesebro, the legal architects of a plan to urge then–Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results on January 6, 2021, were also pardoned. Powell, known for filing unsuccessful lawsuits alleging election fraud, and Epshteyn, a long-time Trump aide, were included as well.None of those named have been charged with federal crimes, making the move largely symbolic. The document was undated, leaving it unclear when Trump signed it, Politico said. Shield against future prosecutionsAccording to Politico, the pardons’ language is unusually broad, covering “any conduct relating to the advice, creation, organisation, execution, submission, support, voting activities, participation in or advocacy for or of any slate or proposed slate of presidential electors” and “efforts to expose voting fraud and vulnerabilities in the 2020 election.”Legal experts said such language effectively shields the individuals from future federal prosecutions over their role in the 2020 election challenges. Giuliani, Eastman, and Powell had been identified by former Special Counsel Jack Smith as co-conspirators in Trump’s federal election interference probe, though no charges were filed against them.The document explicitly excludes Trump himself, despite his repeated claims that he could pardon himself for federal crime.Pardons extend to ‘fake electors’Trump also extended pardons to dozens of GOP activists who signed false elector certificates in swing states, a move that played a central role in his campaign to block the certification of Biden’s victory.Most Read1US Government Shutdown Live Updates: Senate passes federal funding bill, opens route to end longest govt shutdown in US history2BBC’s director general, head of news resign following criticism over Trump speech edit3Pakistan’s 27th Amendment Bill: 7 things to know about the proposed constitutional changes4‘We’re the richest country in the World’: Trump promises $2,000 ‘dividend’ to Americans5Former Bangladesh minister alleges USAID, Clinton family backed plot to oust Sheikh Hasina: ‘There is a nexus’6US Senate nears potential deal to extend government funding, to vote on bill to end federal shutdownAmong them were former state Republican Party chairs David Shafer (Georgia), Kelli Ward (Arizona), and Michael McDonald (Nevada), who face state-level charges over their roles in the scheme. James Troupis, a Wisconsin attorney accused of overseeing a similar effort, was also included.Trump’s clemency, however, applies only to federal offenses. It does not affect state charges brought by prosecutors in Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, or Nevada.The pardons mark Trump’s latest attempt to reshape the narrative around his 2020 defeat and the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Within hours of his inauguration in January, Trump also pardoned more than 1,000 of his supporters convicted in connection with the Capitol riot, including hundreds who assaulted law enforcement officers.AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...