“President Donald Trump announced full executive pardons for more than half a dozen people charged in federal emissions-related cases, naming Joshua Davis; Matt Geouge; Jonathan Achtemeier; Tim Clancy; Ryan and Wade Lalone; Barry Pierce; Aaron Rudolf; and Mackenzie Spurlock.”
Attributed to President Donald Trump (reported by Fox News)
Fox News reports Trump posted on Truth Social and announced pardons, listing the named recipients as having received full executive clemency.
What the proof shows
Fox News correctly reported that President Trump announced and that the White House circulated a list of individuals who received executive pardons and that those names (Joshua Davis; Matt Geouge; Jonathan Achtemeier; Tim Clancy; Ryan and Wade Lalone; Barry Pierce; Aaron Rudolf; Mackenzie Spurlock) were included. Primary sources and major outlets show the White House list included 11 clemency recipients and that many of the named people had been prosecuted, pleaded guilty to, or been convicted of Clean Air Act offenses for tampering with or selling devices to bypass vehicle emissions monitoring — not ordinary “right-to-repair” work. Important context Fox’s headline/wording omits: (1) Trump’s Truth Social post said he pardoned “six people,” but the White House list referenced by outlets named 11 people (a count mismatch); (2) most cases involved selling or installing defeat devices or deliberately disabling emissions monitoring (criminal Clean Air Act prosecutions), not benign repair activity; and (3) pardons remove convictions for individuals but do not repeal the underlying law or change enforcement authority. Those missing details make the article’s framing (e.g., “right-to-repair crackdown” / “persecuted mechanics”) incomplete and potentially misleading even though the basic claim that he announced pardons for the listed people is supported by the record.
Corrected version
President Trump announced pardons for 11 people and the White House released a list naming, among others, Joshua Davis; Matt Geouge; Jonathan Achtemeier; Tim Clancy; Ryan and Wade Lalone; Barry Pierce; Aaron Rudolf; and Mackenzie Spurlock. Many of those individuals had pleaded guilty to or been convicted of violations of the Clean Air Act for tampering with or selling devices that bypass vehicle emissions monitoring systems. Trump posted on Truth Social saying he had pardoned “six people,” but the White House list provided to reporters included 11 names. The pardons grant individual clemency and do not change the law or make emissions tampering lawful.
Automated evidence confidence: 0%
References and proof
Every link was reachable when published. Each proof point states how that source bears on the claim.
It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were… — Truth Social post (archived) ↗
Truth Social (archived)It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for "fixing their car." ... I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!
Trump pardons former Abramoff partner, 9 people convicted of violating vehicle emissions controls ↗
Associated PressIn a list provided Friday evening by the White House, Trump pardoned 11 people, including nine who faced charges related to violations of the Clean Air Act by disabling emissions monitoring systems on vehicles or selling devices that enabled emissions systems to be bypassed.
Environmental Crimes Bulletin — November 2024 (United States v. Jonathan Achtemeier) ↗
U.S. Department of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources DivisionOn November 20, 2024, Jonathan Achtemeier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act ... Achtemeier admitted to modifying the software on hundreds of trucks nationwide between 2019 and 2022 to prevent the monitoring devices from detecting the removal of emissions controls.
Oregon Transportation Company and Owner Sentenced to Probation and Criminal Fines for Tampering with Pollution Monitoring Devices ↗
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Oregon (DOJ press release)On September 13, 2024, Clancy Logistics and Timothy C. Clancy ... pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a monitoring device. Between October 2019 and July 2023, Clancy tampered with ... at least 13 Class 8 diesel semi-trailer trucks ... in violation of the Clean Air Act.
Diesel Tuner Faces Year in Prison for Defying EPA ↗
Road & Track (reporting citing Department of Justice coverage)Spartan Diesel Technologies founder Matthew Sidney Geouge ... was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act ... EPA specifically notes that Spartan Diesel Technologies has sold more than 14,000 Phalanx tuners.
News coverage noting White House list and the emissions-related nature of the prosecutions ↗
Los Angeles TimesPresident Donald Trump on Friday pardoned 11 people, most of whom were convicted of violating a federal environmental law targeting air pollution ... ‘fixing their car,’” Trump wrote on his Truth Social post.
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