Trump grants pardons to 'persecuted' mechanics in right-to-repair crackdown: 'I am setting them all free'
President Donald Trump on Friday announced full executive pardons for six people he claims were "persecuted" by the Biden administration for simply "fixing their car."In a Truth Social post Friday...
By Fox News · Fox News
President Donald Trump on Friday announced full executive pardons for six people he claims were "persecuted" by the Biden administration for simply "fixing their car." In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, the president took aim at federal prosecutions that he characterized as part of the "Weaponization and Stupidity" of the prior administration, saying, "I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!" The pardons align with Trump’s broader push to defend the "right to repair." Earlier in the week, he signed a presidential memo designed to make it easier for Americans to repair their own vehicles by protecting self-repair rights and opening up options for aftermarket parts. FORMER INDIANA REP STEPHEN BUYER RECEIVES FULL PARDON FROM TRUMP FOR 2023 INSIDER TRADING CONVICTION "It came to my attention because I noticed they were arresting people for fixing their car," Trump said during an Oval Office news conference. "We rule by common sense." The executive clemency is seemingly linked to a federal environmental case involving Elite Diesel Service Inc. and its owner, Troy Lake Sr. Lake received a full and unconditional pardon on Nov. 7, 2025, wiping away his conviction in the case United States v. Elite Diesel Service, Inc. et al. WATCH: TRUMP EPA CHIEF SPARKS EXPLOSIVE HEARING SHOWDOWN OVER GLOBAL WARMING ALARM FROM DEMS: 'I'M TALKING' According to federal plea agreements, Elite Diesel had instructed employees to disable computerized on-board diagnostic systems on at least 344 heavy-duty commercial trucks between January 2017 and December 2020. The diagnostic systems are federally mandated under the Clean Air Act to monitor emissions control systems . Lake was sentenced on Dec. 5, 2024, to more than a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. The company was put on probation for five years, ordered to pay a fine of $37,500, and required to make a $12,500 payment to a Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment program designed to repair emissions systems for low-incom…