"Bring me the pardons": Trump's new show on stage in Alaska
Donald Trump turned a campaign rally in Alaska into an unusual spectacle: he invited two garage owners convicted of air pollution offenses onto the stage, signed their pardons in front of the audience, and attacked the Biden administration's justice system. The two were convicted of removing emission control systems from diesel vehicles for payment.
Donald Trump turned a campaign rally in Alaska into an especially unusual spectacle, during which he invited two garage owners convicted of air pollution offenses onto the stage, signed their pardons in front of the audience, and sharply attacked the Biden administration's justice system. The two, Chubak and Fleming, were convicted along with a third partner of removing emission control systems from diesel vehicles for payments ranging from $1,140 to $5,445. The three pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and were sentenced to five years of probation, a $66,000 fine, and community service. Trump told his aide "Bring me the pardons," signed the documents on the podium, and handed them to the two men to the applause of the crowd. The president noted that he is also taking care of a third person who received a pardon last month, and added that receiving a pardon makes a person "clean as a newborn baby's bottom." Fleming told the audience that the charges ruined their lives. These steps are part of the broader policy of the Trump administration to reduce environmental regulations, in stark contrast to the Biden administration's policy, which emphasized that removing emission controls leads to a massive increase in air pollution.