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President Donald Trump has pardoned Rudy Giuliani and 76 others accused of involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to a proclamation released late Sunday by Trump’s pardon attorney.
The sweeping pardon — covering lawyers, aides and campaign officials connected to Trump’s post-2020 election challenges — exonerates “all U.S. citizens” accused of conduct related to the creation or support of alternate elector slates or efforts to expose alleged voter fraud.
Trump has not yet commented publicly on the decision. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday night.
‘No MAGA left behind’
The proclamation was posted on X by Ed Martin, Trump’s pardon attorney, who wrote “No MAGA left behind” in a May post that he referenced in sharing the document. Dated Nov. 7, the order grants a “full, complete, and unconditional pardon” to those who took part in or supported actions related to the 2020 election.
Among those named are several of Trump’s closest allies:
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Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former personal attorney
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Mark Meadows, Trump’s 2020 White House chief of staff
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Attorneys Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Kenneth Chesebro — all central figures in the “fake electors” and legal strategy efforts to challenge election results
The proclamation explicitly states that the pardon does not extend to Trump himself.
Legal experts said the move is largely symbolic, as none of the named individuals have been convicted of federal crimes — a prerequisite for a pardon to have legal effect.
Still, the language signals Trump’s continued effort to recast the events of late 2020, which culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, as a legitimate political dispute rather than an attempt to subvert an election.
Rewriting the Jan. 6 narrative
Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly sought to discredit the findings of the House Jan. 6 Committee, which concluded that he and his allies coordinated an attempt to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory.
In January, Trump issued more than 1,500 pardons and commutations, including to several individuals convicted of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the Capitol riot — among them members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who led the chamber during the attack, condemned those earlier pardons as “an outrageous insult to our justice system.”
Democrats reacted swiftly to Sunday’s move, calling it another example of Trump using presidential powers to reward loyalty.
“This is not justice — it’s a political cleansing,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who served on the Jan. 6 Committee. “These are the same people who tried to help Trump overturn the last election. He’s now giving them a free pass.”
Giuliani’s legal troubles
Giuliani, who spearheaded Trump’s post-election legal strategy, has faced mounting legal and financial difficulties. Earlier this year, a federal judge held him in contempt of court for refusing to provide financial records in a defamation case brought by two Georgia election workers he falsely accused of manipulating ballots.
Trump in September announced he would award Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him “a true American hero.”
The new pardon proclamation appears to reaffirm Trump’s loyalty to his former attorney and other allies facing civil or state-level investigations related to 2020 election claims — though presidential pardons do not apply to state prosecutions.
As of late Sunday, it was unclear how many of the 77 individuals had been formally notified of the pardon or whether the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney participated in the process.
