Savannah Chrisley: You don't understand the justice system until it affects you
Former reality TV star Savannah Chrisley tells 'My View with Lara Trump' what she wants people to know about her parents' story and her work as a prison reform advocate.
President Donald Trump said he plans to pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley, likely by Wednesday, after they were found guilty of fraud and tax evasion in 2022.
Todd and Julie, who became famous on the reality series "Chrisley Knows Best," were convicted of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans as well as tax evasion and sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively. Their sentences were later reduced.
"It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing, because your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow. Is that OK? We’ll try getting it done tomorrow," Trump told their daughter Savannah Chrisley and son Chase, in a phone call from the Oval Office on Tuesday that was posted onto an X account of a White House aide. The post was captioned in part, "Trump Knows Best!"
Savannah Chrisley has been advocating for their release since the pair went to prison in January 2023, and reached out to Trump for a pardon earlier this year after their conviction was upheld by a three-judge panel last summer.
Todd and Julie Chrisley, who became famous on the reality series "Chrisley Knows Best," were convicted of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans as well as tax evasion and sentenced to 12 and seven years respectively. (Tommy Garcia/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
"Thank you so much, Mr. President," Savannah could be heard saying on the call. Chase, through tears, added, "I just want to say thank you for bringing my parents back."
Trump told Savannah and Chase to give their parents his "regards and wish them a good life."
"They were given pretty harsh treatment based on what I’m hearing, pretty harsh treatment," Trump said. "Congratulate your parents, and I hear they're terrific people. This should not have happened."
TODD CHRISLEY REMOVED FROM PRISON CHAPEL POSITION WHILE SERVING 10-YEAR SENTENCE FOR FRAUD
He continued, "They have good children — you're no longer children, but I'll say it anyway. They have good children, don't they, huh?"
Standing behind Trump was Alice Marie Johnson, whose sentence on drug charges he commuted during his first term and whom he appointed as his pardon czar in February.
"Alice had a lot to do with this," Trump told Savannah and Chase.
President Trump speaking to Savannah and Chase Chrisley from the Oval Office on Tuesday. (Margo Martin/X)
After the phone call with Trump, Savannah posted a video on her Instagram saying she got the call from the president that he was signing pardon papers for her parents while she was walking into a Sam's Club.
"So, both of my parents are coming home tonight or tomorrow and I still don't believe it's real!" she exclaimed.
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She said she will be "forever grateful" to Trump and his administration as well as her lawyers and everyone else who "put in countless hours" to "make sure that my parents got home."
"My parents get to start their lives over!" she added, saying she "vowed to stand next to you and your administration, exposing the corruption and continue fighting for the men and women who are in prison … Thank you, thank you, thank you and I will repay your kindness to every person that I meet, so thank God for a president like Donald J. Trump. Thank you, God, for a president who wants to restore families and loves people … and took the time to call me from the Oval Office to let me know my parents are getting their lives back."
Chase and Savannah Chrisley, top left and center, with their parents Todd and Julie Chrisley and their grandmother and younger brother and sister Grayson and Chloe in a publicity photo for "Chrisley Knows Best." (Tommy Garcia/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
In July 2024, Savannah gave a speech at the Republican National Convention in which she alleged that her family had been "persecuted by rogue prosecutors in Fulton County."
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Prosecutors said the couple walked away from their responsibility for repayment when Todd Chrisley declared bankruptcy and left $20-plus million in unpaid loans.
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss decisions that hadn't yet been made public, said the pardons would be forthcoming, The Associated Press reported.
Savannah Chrisley said she will be "forever grateful" to Trump and his administration. (Getty)
The Chrisleys’ attorney, Alex Little, told Fox News Digital the pardon "corrects a deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community. President Trump recognized what we’ve argued from the beginning: Todd and Julie were targeted because of their conservative values and high profile. Their prosecution was tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political bias."
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He added, "Todd and Julie’s case is exactly why the pardon power exists. Thanks to President Trump, the Chrisley family can now begin healing and rebuilding their lives."
The phone call with the president comes two weeks after Savannah was interviewed by Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Fox News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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