CNN Legal Analyst Calls BS on Trump Over Pardoned Reality Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams called BS on President Donald Trump over his assertion that pardoned reality stars Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley were treated unfairly by the legal system.
In a video posted to X/Twitter Tuesday, Trump announced the pardon of the convicted stars of Chrisley Knows Best, revealing the news to Chrisley offspring Savannah Chrisley and Grayson Chrisley over the phone and decrying the couple’s “harsh” treatment:
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It’s 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.
PARDON CZAR ALICE MARIE JOHNSON: Yes.
TRUMP: I don’t know them, but give them my regards and wish them well.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY Thank you so much, Mr. President.
GRAYSON CHRISLEY: Mr. President.
TRUMP: Yes. How are you?
G. CHRISLEY: I just want to say thank you for bringing my parents back.
TRUMP: Yes. Well, they were given a pretty harsh treatment, based on what I’m hearing.
On Tuesday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Williams told anchor Kaitlan Collins that Trump’s claim of unfair treatment was “ludicrous”:
KAITLAN COLLINS: Elliot, I want to get your take, though, because what we heard from the President there in the Oval Office was, he was saying that they were unfairly treated, the Chrisleys were, and that is, in part why he’s pardoning them. We heard that from a White House spokesperson, tonight, who also just told us before we came on air, that’s why.
Based on what you know, is that description accurate?
ELLIOT WILLIAMS: Well, before we begin, we were talking beforehand about who’d get to be the first to speak on the new set.
SHELBY TALCOTT: Yes.
JEFF MASON: Yes.
WILLIAMS: And look, I win.
MASON: You win.
WILLIAMS: I win the contest.
COLLINS: I mean, technically, it’s me.
WILLIAMS: No.
MASON: Yes.
WILLIAMS: The first–
COLLINS: You’re the first guest.
WILLIAMS: The first non-Kaitlan–
COLLINS: It is an honor.
WILLIAMS: –lucky person — no.
Were they treated unfairly? It seemed the–
COLLINS: This is in line, was this typical?
WILLIAMS: No. No. But here’s the thing. Like, a jury seemed to think that they were guilty. The appeals court that looked at the case thereafter seemed to think that they were guilty. So, this idea that individuals were singled out and treated unfairly by the criminal justice system is just simply ludicrous.
Now, again, I want to be clear. As you mentioned in the tease here, the President has every power and every right to pardon who he wishes. That’s Article II of the Constitution makes that quite clear.
But the idea that these folks were singled out in some way, nothing in the record seems to indicate that in any way.
Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.
