Trump pardons 2 auto workers on stage during rally in Alaska

October 14, 2026 / 12:13 AM EDT / CBS News

President Trump during a political rally in the state late Tuesday granted onstage pardons to two Alaska auto shop owners who pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act — an unusually public use of the president's clemency power.

The president said the two men — Zachary Czubak and Patrick Fleming — were "wrongly charged," and cast the charges against the two men as an example of how the Biden-era Justice Department "viciously targeted the Alaskan way of life."

Czubak, Fleming and a third man named Michael Hanzuk owned an auto shop that specialized in diesel vehicles called Arm Rippin Toys, according to court records. Federal prosecutors say they offered to remove the emission control systems in customers' vehicles for a fee of $1,140 to $5,445, in part by modifying their physical components and preventing their diagnostics systems from noticing a problem, causing the vehicles to spew more pollutants.

All three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act in 2022. They were each sentenced to five years of probation, $66,000 in fines and community service.

During Tuesday's pre-midterm election rally in Wasilla, Mr. Trump called Czubak…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/