After the verdict, his daughter Savannah spent $460,000 to hire Alex Little, from the Tennessee law firm of Litson, to navigate an appeal and potential pardon petition. Having previously worked at the International Criminal Court and former president Jimmy Carter’s peace initiatives in Africa, with a brief stint as a CIA analyst, Little was not an obvious choice to build a powerful network among MAGA Republicans. But his work on a case involving Amazon had seemingly impressed Jim Trusty, who later defended Trump against charges of mishandling classified documents. And during Little’s defense of Brian Kelsey, a Tennessee state senator charged with violating campaign finance laws, he encountered David Warrington, who also worked for Kelsey and subsequently became Trump’s White House counsel. After Trump resumed power, Little submitted a clemency petition for Kelsey, who was pardoned just weeks after his sentence began. Little, long an appeals lawyer, quickly became a pardon-focused attorney, telling VF the “real problems” in Chrisley’s original conviction appeared unusual in such a high-profile prosecution. “Going into the appellate argument, we had very, very strong cases on multiple fronts.”
“As we sort of click off the contingencies, it’s like being a pilot,” explains Little. “Where’s the first place you’re going to land? If that place doesn’t work, where’s the second place you’re going to land? If you got to land in a field, you got to land in a field, but we’re going to get you home safe.”
But Todd Chrisley’s appeal looked set to drag on, and Savannah grew impatient. She started working the phones, pleading her parents’ innocence, even speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention about “rogue prosecutors” and “the Democrats’ corruption.” After more than two years in prison and $4.2 million in legal fees, Chrisley himself grew used to his life inside. He secretly used multiple cell phones, enjoyed a large commissary account, and thanks to his influence and education, developed an intense desire to push back against the capriciousness, incompetence, and occasional cruelty of prison authorities.
Eventually, Savannah’s appeals to Trump bore fruit. A video from late last May shows Trump on an Oval Office speakerphone, informing her that within a day her parents would be “free and clean” after their “harsh treatment.” Hours later, the legal nightmare that began for Chrisley at a luxury Los Angeles hotel ended in a Pensacola, Florida, prison. He handed other prisoners all his spare gear—“You’re only allowed to have two pairs of tennis shoes; I had seven. You’re only allowed to have two sweat suits; I had 11. You’re only allowed to spend $360 a month on commissary; I spent $2,000”—and walked out.
While inside, he’d pushed to see his prison camp shuttered, and he now says improving inmate conditions and reducing America’s recidivism rate has provided him with “a purpose-driven life.” The presidential pardon power can “right a wrong” and “gives those that are incarcerated hope,” Chrisley told VF. “President Trump has been the answer to a lot of people’s hope in this country.”
Willem Marx
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