President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he signed pardons for six people who he argued were persecuted by the Biden Administration for violating clean-air and emissions laws.

Background

Trump did not identify those he said had been pardoned or offer more precise details on the allegations they faced. The president met with senior officials earlier on Friday to discuss the slate of new pardons, a senior White House official told CNN.

The Justice Department had ordered federal prosecutors earlier this year to drop criminal investigations and abandon pending cases related to defeat devices — software used to bypass emissions controls.

The typical jockeying for pardons has ramped up significantly under the Trump administration. The president himself has taken an increasingly personal role in the government’s clemency process, wielding pardons with historic frequency to aid allies and advance his own political grievances.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.