The latest pardons issued by Donald Trump simply show the president is "very, very bighearted," former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano told Newsmax on Monday.
It was announced Sunday night that Trump had pardoned "alternate electors of 2020," according to the U.S. pardon attorney, Ed Martin, on X.
Appearing in-studio on "Wake Up America," Napolitano defended Trump's decision to issue sweeping pardons to his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, and dozens of others accused of backing efforts to overturn the 2020 election, none of whom faced federal charges.
"No, none of them were [charged]," Napolitano told co-host Marc Lotter. "Many of them had already pleaded guilty in Georgia to a case which has since been dismissed.
"The president just wants to show that he's very bighearted. He can be this way about people who he believes were trying to salvage his presidency."
Napolitano said the pardons were largely symbolic but underscored Trump's loyalty to those who stood by him during his most difficult political moments.
"Take Rudy Giuliani, for example," said Napolitano, a longtime friend of the former New York City mayor. "He wasn't charged with any federal crimes, certainly wasn't convicted of any.
"It's inconceivable that the current Department of Justice would charge him with anything. When this administration is over, the statute of limitations will protect him. This was just the president's gift to those who stuck their necks out for him."
Trump's Sunday proclamation granted "full, complete, and unconditional" pardons to 77 individuals, including Giuliani, Meadows, and attorneys Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Jeffrey Clark.
The document framed the prosecutions of Trump's allies as "a grave national injustice" and said the pardons were meant to further "the process of national reconciliation."
Napolitano noted that the pardons apply only to federal crimes, meaning they have no bearing on the state-level charges some of Trump's allies faced in Georgia, Arizona, or Michigan.
For example, former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis, who pleaded guilty in Georgia, remains subject to professional discipline even though she received a presidential pardon.
"This pardon cannot undo those consequences," Napolitano said. "I don't know if the governor of Georgia can pardon her, because she pleaded guilty to state crimes in a state court."
Napolitano was asked whether the pardons could allow the president's allies to speak openly about alleged weaponization inside the Justice Department.
"It very well could [relate to that]," Napolitano said, "but again, I think it was the president being bighearted.
"This was not about politics or leverage. This was about loyalty and heart."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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