US President Donald Trump has granted full and unconditional pardons to two Alaska diesel mechanics convicted of violating federal environmental laws, signing the clemency documents onstage during a campaign rally in Wasilla on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The move highlights Trump’s opposition to Biden-era prosecutions involving the removal of vehicle emissions controls and his broader push to roll back environmental enforcement policies, Bloomberg reports.
Key Highlights
- Donald Trump pardons two Alaska diesel mechanics during a campaign rally in Wasilla.
- Zachary Czubak and Patrick Fleming were convicted of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.
- Federal prosecutors said the mechanics tampered with emissions-control equipment on at least 37 diesel vehicles.
- The men were sentenced to five years of probation, fines of $66,000 each and community service.
- Trump criticised the prosecutions as excessive and defended the mechanics’ work on diesel vehicles.
- A third co-owner, Michael Hanzuk II, had reportedly received a presidential pardon the previous month.
- Trump also used the rally to promote Republican candidates and announce progress on an Alaska natural gas pipeline project.
Trump Signs Pardons for Alaska Diesel Mechanics Onstage
Trump signed the pardons during a Republican campaign rally at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla, Alaska, on Tuesday night.
The two recipients, Zachary Czubak and Patrick Fleming, co-own the Anchorage diesel repair shop Arm Rippin Toys. Trump called for an aide to bring him the documents, signed them at the podium and held one up before handing the pardons to the men as supporters cheered.
The President also referred to the case of Michael Hanzuk II, another co-owner of the business who had reportedly received a pardon in September 2026.
The public presentation turned the exercise of presidential clemency into a central moment of the rally, which was organised to support Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections.
Why the Mechanics Were Convicted Under the Clean Air Act
Czubak, Fleming and Hanzuk pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Clean Air Act.
According to federal prosecutors, the men removed required pollution-control equipment and tampered with federally mandated monitoring devices on at least 37 private and commercial diesel vehicles between July 2019 and September 2020.
Customers reportedly paid between approximately $1,140 and $5,445 for the work, while the business collected about $100,000 in total.
Each man was sentenced to five years of probation, a $66,000 fine and community service.
The Clean Air Act regulates air pollution and establishes requirements for emissions-control systems in vehicles. Removing or disabling those systems can increase harmful emissions and expose vehicle owners and repair businesses to legal penalties.
Trump Calls Prosecution Excessive
During the rally, Trump argued that the prosecution was disproportionate and politically motivated, presenting the mechanics as workers who had been punished for repairing diesel engines.
“They want to put them in jail for 10 years because they fixed an engine. How sick?” Trump told the crowd.
He also argued that emissions-control systems can make diesel engines more expensive to maintain and less reliable in Alaska’s extremely cold conditions.
Trump used the occasion to criticise environmental regulations, referring dismissively to restrictions that he believes reduce vehicle efficiency.
The President also joked that an unconditional pardon left the recipients “as clean as a newborn baby’s a**” and took aim at former President Joe Biden over reports concerning his use of an autopen to sign documents.
The remarks reflected Trump’s broader criticism of federal environmental enforcement and his support for businesses that oppose restrictions on vehicle modifications.
Mechanics Say Legal Case Damaged Their Families
Fleming addressed the audience after receiving the pardon, describing the prosecution as deeply damaging to the men and their families.
“The case really did destroy us. It destroyed friendships. It destroyed families,” he said.
He maintained that the business owners did not intend to harm anyone and said they wanted to help customers who depended on diesel-powered vehicles.
“We’re not criminals. We’re not trying to hurt anybody. We want to help Alaskans. We want to help people with diesel trucks, with vehicles, across the world,” Fleming said.
Czubak also expressed gratitude for the President’s intervention.
The pardons remove the federal criminal consequences covered by the clemency decisions, although a presidential pardon does not necessarily erase the historical record of a conviction.
Trump’s Pardons Reflect Wider Opposition to Emissions Enforcement
The decision follows other actions by Trump targeting prosecutions involving devices used to disable vehicle emissions controls, commonly known as defeat devices.
Trump had previously pardoned Wasilla diesel mechanic Mackenzie “Mac” Spurlock in 2026. His administration has also moved to limit certain criminal prosecutions involving tampering with onboard vehicle diagnostic systems.
Supporters of the mechanics, including Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, have argued that federal emissions rules do not adequately account for the operating conditions faced by diesel vehicle owners in cold-weather states.
Environmental regulations, however, are designed to limit harmful pollutants released by vehicles. Disabling emissions-control equipment can undermine those protections, which remain central to the Clean Air Act.
The latest pardons therefore renew the debate over the balance between vehicle performance, business interests, public health and federal environmental standards.
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Trump Uses Alaska Rally to Promote Energy Development
The rally also served as a platform for Trump’s broader energy agenda and his campaign support for Sullivan and other Republican candidates.
During the event, the President announced that a proposed natural gas pipeline project spanning approximately 800 miles had received all necessary federal permits.
“Every single permit that you need, you can start tonight,” Trump told the audience.
The announcement reinforced the administration’s emphasis on energy development in Alaska, where supporters argue that major infrastructure projects could expand economic opportunities and domestic energy supplies.
The combination of presidential pardons and energy-development messaging underscored the political themes of the event as Republicans prepared for the November midterm elections.
Alaska Pardons Highlight Trump’s Use of Presidential Clemency
Trump’s decision to pardon Czubak and Fleming represents another high-profile use of presidential clemency to reverse the criminal consequences of environmental-law violations.
By signing the documents in front of a campaign audience, Trump placed his opposition to certain emissions-enforcement policies at the centre of his political message.
The move is also likely to keep attention on the administration’s approach to environmental regulation, particularly its treatment of diesel vehicle modifications and the enforcement of federal pollution standards.
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