The View hosts slam Trump pardoning ‘tax cheats and frauds' Todd and Julie Chrisley
The View hosts lambasted Donald Trump Wednesday for pardoning 'tax cheats and frauds.'
The President this week signed full pardons for former reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who have been in prison since they were convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022. He additionally signed a full and unconditional pardon for tax cheat Paul Walczak.
Addressing the 'eyebrow-raising' pardons on Wednesday's episode of the ABC talk show, co-host Whoopi Goldberg questioned whether people are going to have a problem with the news or if they're 'already numb to this.'
'Well, according to this administration, if you are a reality star with a lot of money, and a tax cheat, and you commit fraud, then that's good. We're gonna give you a pardon,' co-host Joy Behar said. 'But poor people on Medicaid or food stamps, according to this administration, those are the real moochers in the country, and that they have to be taken off of healthcare or food stamps.
'People in America need to understand what's going on. That's what's going on,' Behar added. 'Somebody like this guy, Chrisley, whatever his name is. I never saw the show; I've only seen clips where he's running around being rich — he gets let off the hook. But somebody, like anybody that we might know who needs help, doesn't get help from this administration.'
Co-host Ana Navarro stepped in to answer Goldberg's original question, saying: 'I sure as hell do [have a problem with this]. I think one of the things we as Americans have to do is not normalize this and not get accustomed to this, and not allow this to continue to happen. Because this is not normal, this is honest, this is not ethical.
'Basically, there's a huge 'for sale' sign on the lawn of the White House, and if you are a supporter, and if you are a donor, then you can buy pardons,' Navarro argued. 'This is not just coming in a vacuum, right? This is coming at the same time he's accepting a $400 million jet from the Qataris, at the same time that he has a crypto-grift.'
Todd and Julie Chrisley formerly fronted their show, Chrisley Knows Best, from 2014 to 2023, which followed their family's luxurious, multimillion-dollar lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
The couple were found guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans in 2022. Prosecutors said the couple walked away from their responsibility for repayment when Todd declared bankruptcy.
They were also both found guilty of tax evasion and conspiring to defraud the IRS, while Julie was convicted of wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
Julie was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, and Todd got 12 years behind bars. The couple was also ordered to pay $17.8 million in restitution. The couple have been appealing their case since being sentenced in November 2022.
Speaking over the phone to the couple's 27-year-old daughter, Savannah, on Wednesday, Trump called her parents' imprisonment 'a terrible thing.'
'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,' he said. 'I don't know them, but give them my regards.'
Savannah later shared her reaction to the news in an Instagram video, saying: 'I still don't believe it's real. I am freaking out. The fact that the President called me. President Trump didn't just commute their sentences, he gave them a full, unconditional pardon. So for that, I am forever grateful.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
27 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Fed Chair Powell has closed door meeting at the White House on interest rate cuts
Federal Reserve Bank Chair Jerome Powell stayed the course after being summoned to an economic woodshed at the White House by President Trump, who has been vocal about demands that the Fed ax interest rates. The May 29 faceoff was Powell's first visit to the White House during Trump's second tour. In a statement, Powell's office said the meeting's agenda was to "to discuss economic developments, including for growth, employment, and inflation." Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Both sides said the meeting was at the invitation of the president, who told Powell in person what he's been saying and tweeting for months: the Fed's refusal to cut interest rates was a "mistake" damaging the economy. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System voted unanimously in early May to approve the establishment of the primary credit rate at the existing level of 4.5% – which means interest rates for lenders, consumers and the rest of Americans won't be budging in the near term, much to the dismay of the Trump administration. This stance "will be updated as appropriate to reflect decisions of the Federal Open Market Committee or the Board of Governors regarding details of the Federal Reserve's operational tools and approach to implement monetary policy," the central bank said in a statement. XinhuaTrump's repeated demands underscore the volatility of U.S. trade policy and provide another flash point for global worries about fiscal policy, which have sent bond yields sharply higher. The whiplashed tariffs, primarily those against China and the E.U., add to economic jitters, Related: Fed official sends strong message about interest-rate cuts Since April 2, or "Liberation Day," tariff threats and trade jitters have spooked buyers and sellers into a seemingly endless roller-coaster ride. Many market, economic, and financial experts have begun publicly warning of a recession within a few months, while others predict a nation stuck in a nasty stagflation. The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate to target low inflation and unemployment. The central bank can raise interest rates to slow inflation, which can cause unemployment. Or it can cut rates to boost job growth, but that can cause inflation. Monetary and stock market experts expect the Fed will lower interest rates by one quarter point in September. Trump told Powell in their meeting he wanted the cuts sooner. Related: Jamie Dimon sends terse message on stocks, economy The Fed's statement following the White House meeting said Powell "did not discuss his expectations for monetary policy, except to stress that the path of policy will depend entirely on incoming economic information and what that means for the outlook." A White House spokeswoman agreed with the statement, but added that the president pressed for immediate action to lower the rates. Powell also said in the Fed statement that he and his colleagues will set monetary policy "as required by law, to support maximum employment and stable prices and will make those decisions based solely on careful, objective, and non-political analysis." Powell will give the opening remarks June 2 at the Federal Reserve Board's International Finance (IF) Division 75th Anniversary Conference, Washington, D.C. The conference will feature a series of panel discussions focused on the division's history and people, as well as an academic panel and presentations by former IF economists. Related: Veteran fund manager who predicted April rally updates S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Todd Chrisley reveals what his fellow prisoners thought of his release — after taking a swipe at CNN
Reality star and convicted fraudster Todd Chrisley opened up about his emotional release from prison and the reaction of his fellow inmates — just moments after taking a swipe at CNN during a press conference Friday. 'When I left that day, there was only 317 men at our camp, but they were lined up shouting when I was walking out and they were saying 'Dont forget us, don't forget us' and my commitment is to them that I will never forget them,' Chrisley, 56, told reporters in Nashville alongside his daughter Savannah. The reality star, who was released from federal prison on Wednesday night alongside his wife, Julie Chrisley, after President Trump announced plans to pardon the couple, emphasized systemic issues he witnessed firsthand at the FPC Pensacola lockup in Florida. 'Anyone who says it's a fair shake, it's not. I dealt with young African American males in the prison that I was in who were not treated the same. They were denied programming. They were denied access to certain things. I was not denied that, but we know why I wasn't denied,' Todd Chrisley said. Chrisley, who was convicted with his wife of faking documents to obtain over $30 million in loans, and then dumping them by declaring bankruptcy, took a swipe at the left-wing media's portrayal of the case. 'You must be from CNN,' he mockingly responded to an unidentified reporter who asked if he felt any remorse over his conviction. 'You're placed in a position as a defendant to either bow down and kiss the ass of the DOJ and accept responsibility for things that you did not do in order to avoid a stronger sentence,' he said. Todd and Julie Chrisley's fall from grace: The inside story Todd Chrisley smiles in first public outing since Trump pardon Todd Chrisley reveals extreme lengths he takes to 'outrun paparazzi' as he breaks cover with daughter Savannah after prison release Todd Chrisley reveals what his fellow prisoners thought of his release — after taking a swipe at CNN Inside 'shocked' Todd and Julie Chrisley's first night home after Trump pardons The 'Chrisley Knows Best' star described his time in prison as eye-opening and vowed to continue advocacy efforts for inmates with his family. 'I will continue to fight for all the guys that I dealt with and that I was blessed to be with at FPC Pensacola. I will continue to expose the injustices that go on there and throughout the department and throughout the Bureau of Prisons,' he said. Chrisley also reflected on the moment he first learned of his pardon, describing it as surreal. 'I had a staff member that came up to me and said, 'You've just been pardoned,' and I just looked at him, and he said, 'No really, you've been pardoned. It's in the news.' Savannah also recounted the moment she learned her parents would be pardoned on the way to the grocery store. 'When I got the call, like I said, I was walking into the grocery store, and I stopped in the parking lot. I was like, what do I do?.. and so I sat in my car and had that phone conversation that's online with President Trump… Grayson [her brother] was with me and we're like, oh my god, it's happening, it's happening,' she said. Todd Chrisley was freed after serving just over two years of his 12-year sentence. His 52-year-old wife was let out of FMC Lexington in Kentucky, where she had been serving out a seven-year prison term. President Trump announced plans to pardon the reality TV couple on Tuesday and followed through Wednesday afternoon, telling their adult kids from the Oval Office that the sentences were 'pretty harsh treatment.''This should not have happened,' the president told 27-year-old Savannah by phone. 'They were given a pretty harsh treatment based on what I'm hearing. 'Your parents are going to be free and clean,' he added. 'I don't know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good life.' The glamorous couple's daughter has been championing their case in conservative circles since their conviction, going so far as to speak at the Republican National Convention in 2024 to proclaim that they'd been 'persecuted by rogue prosecutors' for their conservative values. Todd and Julie Chrisley – who celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary days ago on May 25 – haven't seen or spoken to each other since they reported for prison in 2023, Savannah said. But once the family is settled back home, they're ready to jump back into television and have a Lifetime show waiting for them 'that will document all of these things,' Savannah revealed to reporters on Wednesday.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Todd and Julie Chrisley released from prison after Trump pardoned reality stars who were serving 12, 7 years for tax evasion
Reality stars and convicted fraudsters Todd and Julie Chrisley were released from federal prison Wednesday night, just one day after President Trump announced plans to pardon the couple. Todd, 56, was freed first from FPC Pensacola in Florida after serving just over two years of his 12-year sentence. His 52-year-old wife was let out of FMC Lexington in Kentucky, where she had been serving out a seven-year prison term. 'We will forever be grateful that we have an administration that is reuniting families,' the Chrisleys' daughter, Savannah, told reporters outside the Florida prison as she waited for her father. 'He is our president but he's also a person with a heart who loves people, who loves people well,' she added during teary remarks. The 'Chrisley Knows Best' reality stars first reported to prison in 2023 after being convicted of tax evasion. Federal prosecutors found them guilty of faking documents to obtain over $30 million in loans, and then dumping them by declaring bankruptcy. But President Trump announced plans to pardon the Tennessee couple on Tuesday and followed through Wednesday afternoon, telling their adult kids from the oval office that the sentences were 'pretty harsh treatment.' 'This should not have happened,' the president told 27-year-old Savannah by phone. 'They were given a pretty harsh treatment based on what I'm hearing.' 'Your parents are going to be free and clean,' he said. 'I don't know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good life.' The glamorous couple's daughter has been championing their case in conservative circles since their conviction, going so far as to speak at the Republican National Convention in 2024 to proclaim that they'd been 'persecuted by rogue prosecutors' for their conservative values. Todd and Julie – who celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary days ago on May 25 – haven't seen or spoken to each other since they reported for prison in 2023, Savannah said. But once the family is settled back home, Savannah told reporters they're ready to jump back into television and have a Lifetime show waiting for them 'that will document all of these things.' 'It's all God and President Trump at this point,' she said.
