WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has issued a pre-emptive federal pardon to Indian American Republican activist C.B. Chandra Yadav, along with several high-profile political allies connected to efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.
The pardons announced Monday apply only to potential federal offenses, meaning federal prosecutors cannot pursue future federal charges related to the case. However, the pardons do not cover state-level prosecutions.
“These great Americans were persecuted and put through hell by the Biden Administration for challenging an election, which is the cornerstone of democracy,” Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
Yadav may still face legal exposure in Georgia, where a grand jury in 2023 recommended charges against individuals allegedly involved in submitting an alternate slate of electors. State prosecutors did not ultimately pursue charges against him at the time, and any state action would not be affected by Trump’s pardon.
The list of pardons released by Justice Department Pardon Attorney Ed Martin includes several of the president’s allies who were central to efforts to contest the 2020 results, among them former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, attorneys Sidney Powell and John Eastman, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
In the pardon order, Trump said the action “ends grave national injustice perpetrated on the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation.”
The case stems from efforts to contest President Joe Biden’s certified win in Georgia. Yadav was among those connected to the effort to submit an alternate set of electors to the Electoral College.
The pardon does not apply to Trump himself. A self-pardon would be legally untested and could face constitutional challenges.
Yadav serves on the Georgians First Commission, a state panel focused on reducing regulatory barriers for businesses. He is the owner and CEO of the Gope Group, which operates grocery stores and motels in Georgia. He studied engineering at B.N. College of Engineering in Pusad, Maharashtra, before coming to the United States for graduate studies in management. (Source: IANS)
