President Donald Trump pardoned two Alaska diesel mechanics during a campaign rally in Wasilla on Tuesday, marking the latest in a series of clemency actions announced at political events. The pardons were granted to Zachary Czubak and Patrick Fleming, co-owners of an Anchorage diesel repair shop who pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act. A third mechanic, Mackenzie 'Mac' Spurlock, was also pardoned in an earlier action.
During the rally, Trump signed the clemency documents onstage while highlighting energy investments in Alaska. The president described the men as having been unfairly prosecuted under the Biden administration, stating their work was essential for maintaining truck operations in Alaska’s extreme climate. Federal prosecutors had previously stated that the shop, Arm Rippin Toys, collected approximately $100,000 for modifications made to at least 37 diesel vehicles between July 2019 and September 2020. These modifications involved removing federally required emissions-control equipment and tampering with monitoring devices.
The Biden-era Department of Justice charged the mechanics under the Clean Air Act, alleging violations of federal emissions standards. The case centered on allegations that the shop systematically disabled emissions systems to improve vehicle performance, a practice that federal regulators have long targeted as harmful to air quality. The mechanics’ guilty pleas were part of a broader federal crackdown on tampering with emissions controls, which prosecutors argued posed public health risks by increasing pollution.
Trump framed the pardons as a correction to what he described as politically motivated prosecutions. “I’m giving each one of them an unconditional pardon,” Trump said during the rally. “I am setting them all free.” The president also criticized the use of an autopen by former President Joe Biden, referencing the pardons while signing the documents. Supporters at the rally applauded the pardons, which were announced alongside discussions of major energy projects in Alaska.
The clemency actions come amid Trump’s broader campaign efforts to appeal to working-class voters, particularly in energy-dependent states. The pardons were announced during a rally supporting Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and other Republican candidates in Alaska’s midterm elections. The event also emphasized infrastructure development and energy policy, with Trump advocating for expanded domestic production of oil and gas. The pardons were not accompanied by an official statement from the White House or the Department of Justice regarding the legal or policy rationale behind the clemency decisions.