President Donald Trump granted presidential pardons Tuesday night to two diesel mechanics convicted of violating the federal Clean Air Act, signing the documents on stage during a campaign rally in Wasilla, Alaska. Trump invited the two men to join him at the podium and executed the pardons in front of the crowd and cameras.
"They wanted to put them in prison for ten years just because they fixed an engine. How sick is that," Trump said, criticizing the criminal proceedings brought against the pair.
In 2022, the two men, Zachary Chubbuck and Patrick Fleming, pleaded guilty to federal charges that they illegally tampered with pollution control systems and removed equipment designed to reduce vehicle emissions.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, federal prosecutors alleged that the two, along with a third individual named Michael Wayne Hanzuk, modified or removed emissions control systems from at least 37 vehicles between July 2019 and September 2020.
Trump presented the case as an example of what he characterized as environmental enforcement that harms tradesmen and vehicle owners. He said the regulations force mechanics to maintain systems that make maintenance and engine repairs more expensive, and that removing them can lead to prosecution.
Fleming thanked Trump for the pardon and said during the event: "This means the world to me. We're not criminals. We're not trying to hurt anybody. We want to help Alaskans, people with diesel trucks, and vehicle owners around the world."
This is not the first time Trump has intervened in cases of this type. In July, the president granted pardons to nine people convicted of similar offenses under the Clean Air Act. A White House official described the enforcement by previous administrations as excessive.
