Screenshot via Fox News
President Donald Trump reposted a video of Trevor Milton celebrating a pardon after he was sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding millions out of investors.
Trump defended his pardon of Milton, who was defended by the brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi, on Friday, saying it was “highly recommended by people.”
“There are many people like that. They support Trump and they went after him. You don’t realize this is a vicious group of people that were in this office before us. This is a vicious group. They’re violent,” Trump said at the White House.
Milton was free on appeal after being sentenced to four years. The Department of Justice said the former Nikola CEO “lied to investors again and again.”
“Trevor Milton lied to investors again and again — on social media, on television, on podcasts, and in print. But today’s sentence should be a warning to start-up founders and corporate executives everywhere — ‘fake it till you make it’ is not an excuse for fraud, and if you mislead your investors, you will pay a stiff price,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said after Milton was sentenced in December 2023.
The president reposted to Truth Social of Milton thanking him for the pardon.
Milton said:
What’s up guys, oh my gosh, you won’t believe just what happened. Sorry, it’s pretty hard for me to talk about, but probably the best day I’ve had in five years. I just got a call from the president of the United States on my phone and he signed my full and unconditional pardon of innocence. The prosecutors can no longer hurt me. They can’t destroy my family. They can’t rip everything away from me. They can’t ruin my life. I get to be with my wife now. I get be with family. It is done. It’s over. I am now officially pardoned by the president of the United States 45,47, an amazing man that cared enough to call me personally to tell me how much of an injustice. This all was done by the same officers that harassed and prosecuted him. And I’m now officially 100% pardoned. And I wanted to tell everyone out there, all the people that supported me and fought through all the bull crap, fought all the lies, fought against all the short sellers and the destruction that they do and everybody else involved, the greatest comeback story in America is about to happen. And I just wanted to you guys. Thank you.
Trump’s pardon and Milton praising him as an “amazing man” had Trump critics up in arms on social media, with some declaring it the “golden age of the grift.”
Milton and his wife were major donors to Trump’s campaign, throwing in nearly $2 million before the November election.
