Todd and Julie Chrisley can thank their daughter Savannah Chrisley and advocate Alice Johnson for their pardons
President Donald Trump may have pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley, but there were two other people who were instrumental in making it happen.
The reality show couple, who were convicted in 2022 of defraud and tax crimes, learned on Tuesday that they would be receiving full pardons from the president. It happened after months of advocacy by their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, and Alice Johnson, a first-time nonviolent drug offender whose life sentence was commuted by Trump in 2018 after Kim Kardashian took up her clemency mission.
For years, the younger Chrisley has been using social media and her 'Unlocked' podcast to keep her parents' case in the headlines, expressing concern about the living conditions where they were each incarcerated.
During Thanksgiving 2023 Savannah Chrisley shared a video in which she explained that while she had not been planning for a holiday, that changed.
'I am freaking out! As you know, we are spending Thanksgiving a little different this year, because I wasn't going to fake it. I wasn't going to do the traditional Thanksgiving we're always used to,' she said emotionally as the gospel song 'Goodness of God' by CeCe Winans played. 'But I got a call this morning and the appeals court has granted our oral arguments. So, I literally was sobbing.'
At the time, Todd Chrisley had been serving a 12-year sentence at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) in Pensacola, Florida, while Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years and was sent to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington in Lexington, Kentucky.
Though their appeal was not successful, their daughter didn't stop pushing for their release. A vocal supporter of Trump on her social platforms, Chrisley said she requested a pardon for her parents from the president earlier this year and rallied support during an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February.
She's had some assistance in her cause by Johnson.
On Tuesday, Johnson, whom Trump has referred to as his 'pardon czar,' was in the Oval Office when he called Savannah Chrisley to let her know he was pardoning her parents.
Their conversation was shared on social media by Trump adviser Margo Martin. Johnson was shown clapping softly as Trump spoke with Chrisley.
'It's a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean, and hopefully we can do it by tomorrow,' Trump said. 'Give them my regards and wish them well. Wish them a good life.'
Todd and Julie Chrisley have been married since 1996. Their USA Network reality series, 'Chrisley Knows Best,' debuted in 2014 and revolved around their family life as wealthy entrepreneurs with homes in both Georgia and Tennessee.
They were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans and convicted of several tax crimes, including attempting to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
The Chrisleys have maintained their innocence throughout. Their daughter has said she'll continue to advocate for judicial reform.
'Even after my parents come home,' Chrisley said on her podcast, 'I will continue to fight for justice for those who can't fight for themselves.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
19 minutes ago
- Fox News
DHS releases video of agents arresting suspect who allegedly assaulted border patrol officer
Video shows the moment the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested "a violent rioter" in Los Angeles accused of punching a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared video of the chaos on X, showing two HSI vehicles blocking a white sedan before officers got out with guns drawn. "This was no hit and run," DHS wrote. "This was a targeted arrest of a violent rioter who punched a CBP officer." DHS said HSI tried to arrest Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho for the assault, and he attempted to flee in the vehicle. Cerno-Camacho was arrested and taken into custody, the video shows. "Our officers are facing a 413% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murder[er]s, rapists and gang member[s]," DHS said. "[DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem's message to the LA rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Riots across Los Angeles erupted Friday, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted operations targeting criminal illegal aliens at businesses across the city. About 45 people were arrested in several locations, including two Home Depot stores, a store in the fashion district and a doughnut shop. Among those arrested was 49-year-old Cuong Chanh Phan, an illegal alien from Vietnam with a criminal history that includes a conviction for second-degree murder. Phan was convicted of shooting up a high school graduation party after a dispute, killing an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old. Seven others were injured in the shooting, according to DHS. The FBI also announced it was looking for Elpidio Reyna after he allegedly assaulted a federal officer during one of the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles. Reyna was allegedly captured on video throwing rocks at law enforcement vehicles on Alondra Boulevard in Paramount, California, resulting in an injury to a federal officer and damage to government vehicles. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Associated Press
19 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Former Alabama veterans commissioner sues Ivey for defamation and wrongful termination
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The former head of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday accusing Gov. Kay Ivey of wrongful termination and defamation. W. Kent Davis, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, filed the lawsuit that accuses the governor of illegally firing him last year. The lawsuit contends the dismissal was retaliation for statements and actions that the governor did not like. Ivey last year said she was using her 'supreme executive power of this state' to fire Davis. Ivey's office hand-delivered the letter to Davis' lawyer about 45 minutes after the State Board of Veterans Affairs, in a 3-2 vote, rejected Ivey's request to remove Davis. A lawyer for Davis said only the board, which hired Davis, had the ability to fire him. 'We think it's pretty clear that she did not have the authority to fire him. He did not work at the pleasure of the governor,' Kenny Mendelsohn, a lawyer representing Davis, said. A spokesperson for Ivey indicated the governor stood by the decision. 'We are very confident Governor Ivey's necessary actions will stand any court test there may be,' spokesperson Gina Maiola wrote in an email. Davis and Ivey's office had a public falling out last year that centered on an American Rescue Plan grant. During the dispute, Davis had filed an ethics complaint against the state mental health commissioner, after the Department of Mental Health cancelled a related agreement to administer the grants. The Alabama Ethics Commission dismissed the complaint. 'I don't think anybody in this room doubts what the real reason here is. This is retaliation for that ethics complaint,' Davis said. The governor had accused Davis of failing cooperate with her office and other agency heads and of mishandling an American Rescue Plan grant program. Ivey in an Oct. 18 letter to Davis said the ethics complaint was frivolous and a weaponization of the dispute process. Davis said his office acted properly and the governor's actions and statements have interfered with his ability to find other employment.
CBS News
19 minutes ago
- CBS News
Family of Gen. Richard Cavazos, Army's first Hispanic four-star general, saddened by President Trump's plan to rename Fort Cavazos
The family of Gen. Richard Cavazos, the U.S. Army's first Hispanic four-star general, expressed sadness Wednesday over President Donald Trump's plan to restore the original names of several military installations, including renaming Fort Cavazos in Killeen back to Fort Hood. Base renamed in 2023 to remove Confederate ties Trump's announcement comes just two years after the Central Texas base was renamed during the Biden administration as part of a broader initiative to remove Confederate references from U.S. military sites. The base had previously been named after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood. Gen. Richard E. Cavazos Military Hall of Honor, LLC In a statement, the Cavazos family said an Army representative confirmed the change during a phone call with them on Wednesday. Family told renaming honors different Hood The Cavazos family said they were told the renaming may honor a different Hood, whom they described as the "courageous Colonel Hood of World War I" rather than, in their words, the "infamous Gen. John Bell Hood." "We do not and cannot share the same understanding as the president as to his reasoning for doing so," the family said in the statement. Cavazos praised as Hispanic trailblazer They noted that when Fort Hood was renamed Fort Cavazos, Gen. Colin Powell and others in the military remarked on Gen. Cavazos's impact on "Hispanic persons in the military." They quoted Maj. Gen. Alfred Valenzuela, as saying, "I told him what he meant to us poor Hispanic kids [...] his impact as a mentor is probably the greatest impact our Army had … we all looked up to him as an American soldier, a Hispanic soldier." Focus remains on service members Meanwhile, the family said its "greatest focus is and should always be on the everyday men and women who serve this country in the armed forces." "While the name of the base may change, the everlasting legacy of the incredible men and women who continue to serve there cannot," the statement said. Cavazos was decorated war veteran In addition to being the Army's first Hispanic four-star general, Gen. Cavazos, a Texas native, was a decorated veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. He also served as the commanding general of III Corps at Fort Hood from 1980 to 1982.
