Trump Pardons 11 People as Clean Air Act Cases Become New Right-to-Repair Fight
President Donald Trump pardoned 11 people Friday, including nine tied to Clean Air Act cases involving vehicle emissions controls, as the White House cast the move as relief from regulatory overreach.
The pardons included people identified by the White House as having faced charges for disabling emissions monitoring systems or selling devices that allowed emissions controls to be bypassed, according to AP. Trump announced some of the clemency actions on Truth Social, saying the defendants had been prosecuted for “fixing their car” and declaring, “I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!”
The action came days after Trump moved to advance what his administration calls “Freedom to Fix.” EPA said its July 1 guidance clarifies that manufacturers must provide vehicle owners and repair shops access to service information, tools and training needed to repair emissions systems. The agency also said the guidance does not change the law, weaken emissions standards or reduce compliance obligations.
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That distinction is central to the story. Repair access and emissions tampering are not the same legal question. The administration is emphasizing the right to repair vehicles, while the reported cases involved bypassing emissions controls or enabling those systems to be bypassed.
Trump also pardoned Adam Kidan, a former business partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff who pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud and conspiracy related to the purchase of gambling boats and was sentenced in 2006 to nearly six years in prison.
The practical consequence is limited but politically significant. The pardons remove punishment for the named recipients, but they do not repeal the Clean Air Act. They also sharpen the administration’s broader clash with environmental enforcement and California’s role in emissions regulation.
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