Trump Pardons Two Alaska Mechanics Over Clean Air Act Case

President Donald Trump announced pardons for two Alaska diesel mechanics Tuesday night during a midterm rally in Wasilla, bringing Zachary Czubak and Patrick Fleming onstage to sign clemency documents right away. He highlighted major energy investments and infrastructure projects in the Last Frontier while he held the pens.

The president identified the men as co-owners of an Anchorage diesel repair shop who pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy charges for violating the Clean Air Act. Trump said he was granting each one of the three an unconditional pardon, also referencing an earlier decision to free Mackenzie Mac Spurlock, a Wasilla diesel shop owner.

He defended their work by arguing that it helped keep trucks operating through Alaska's extreme cold and claimed their prosecutions under the Biden administration were simply unfair. The Justice Department previously stated Czubak and Fleming were among three co-owners of Arm Rippin Toys who admitted removing federally required emissions-control equipment and tampering with monitoring devices on at least 37 diesel vehicles between July 2019 and September 2020.

Federal prosecutors said the shop collected approximately $100,000 for those modifications at the time of the charges. As he signed the clemency documents live before supporters, Trump took a sharp jab at former President Joe Biden's use of an autopen to sign orders.

So I am going to sign this now, something that Joe Biden would be unable to do because he was unable to sign his signature, Trump said with a smile for the crowd. He shared candidly the privilege of using the presidential pardon power and admitted he loves doing this kind of stuff. One of the men thanked the president from the stage, describing how the prosecution destroyed friendships and families alike.

The pardons came during a rally where Trump also declared that a long-awaited 800-mile natural gas pipeline had secured every necessary federal permit for Alaska. Every single permit that you need, you can start tonight, he told the crowd. Every single permit that you need has been granted according to his latest announcement. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House right now for additional details on the project's federal permitting status.