Todd and Julie Chrisley recounted the moment they learned they would be receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump in an interview on Fox News that’s set to air this Saturday on “My View with Lara Trump.”
“It was the craziest thing and everybody was just looking at me because unfortunately, most of the news that you get in prison is bad news. You know, so they’re like, are you OK? I’m like, I am. I’m getting out of here. I’m getting out of here,” said Julie.
The reality TV stars, along with their children Savannah and Grayson, sat down with Fox News host Lara Trump for their first interview since Trump’s presidential pardon and their subsequent release from prison.
Todd said a fellow inmate stopped him while he was walking and told him that he believed he had just been pardoned.
The “Chrisley Knows Best” star didn’t initially believe what he had heard until a corrections officer asked him if he was doing well.
“He came by, and he goes, ‘Are you good?’ And I said, as good as I can be. And he said, Todd, you just got pardoned. They sent me down here to make sure you’re OK. And I said, well, they don’t need to be worrying about me now. Hell, if I’m pardoned, I’m great,” Todd said.
“We owe thanks to God. And I say – and God touched President Trump’s heart. God led the people to advocate for us. And so, I’m grateful because every night I would pray that God would return me home to my wife and my children. And he did that, so I’m grateful.”
Todd and Julie’s daughter, Savannah, advocated for her parents’ release after they were convicted in June 2022 in a federal court in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 27-year-old alleged the prosecution was politically motivated due to her parents’ support for Trump and their conservative values.
Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively, in federal prison after a jury convicted them of bank and tax fraud offenses following a nearly three-week trial, according to the Department of Justice. Both of their sentences, however, were later reduced.
“The Chrisleys defrauded financial institutions and the Federal Government through tax evasion and other fraudulent means in an effort to minimize their tax liability, but project an image of wealth,” said James Dorsey, special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Atlanta Field Office, at the time.
“This sentencing serves notice that no matter a person’s celebrity status, there are severe consequences for defrauding the American tax system.”
Todd and Savannah held a press conference in May, soon after he and his wife were released, where he maintained their innocence.
He joked about his residual Botox not wearing off in prison, and Savannah shared their plans for the future.
The Chrisleys are returning to reality TV with a new docuseries on Lifetime, which offers a glimpse into the trial and what the family went through.
“We’re going to set the record straight, and now we move forward with our lives,” said Savannah.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
