Reality star Savannah Chrisley says her parents were victims of political persecution
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Reality TV star Savannah Chrisley used her real estate tycoon parents' incarceration to question the fairness of the federal judicial system.
"You may have seen my family on TV; but for the past decade, we've been consumed with a different kind of drama," she said during a segment at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night dedicated to safety, including criminal justice.
Her comments mirror those of Trump, who accused prosecutors of bringing indictments against him due to a political agenda and vowed to reshape the Department of Justice if he is elected again. Among many cases against him, he faces criminal charges in Fulton County, Ga., over election interference.
"My family was persecuted by rogue prosecutors in Fulton County due to our public profile — I know, Fulton County, they know how to do it, don't they — due to our public profile and conservative beliefs," Chrisley continued.
Chrisley is best known for Chrisley Knows Best, a USA Network show about her wealthy southern family that aired until 2023 and focused primarily on her parents, real-estate tycoon Todd Chrisley and his wife Julie.
She said her parents were defrauded by a dishonest business partner who then cooperated with federal authorities.
A jury found the couple guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans by submitting fake documents, among other counts, according to the AP. Todd and Julie were ordered to pay millions in restitution, and were sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively. They reported to prison in January 2023.
"I'll never forget what the prosecutors said in the most heavily Democrat county in the state, before an Obama-appointed judge," she said on Tuesday. "He called us the Trumps of the South."
"He meant it as an insult. But let me tell you, boy do I wear it as a badge of honor," she added, to cheers from the convention's audience.
She said federal prosecutors have targeted Trump for his politics, while treating President Biden's son Hunter more leniently. She also criticized the four-month prison sentence for Steve Bannon, a former Trump White House aide, for refusing to comply with a congressional investigation.
Trump himself was found guilty by a jury of falsifying records to cover up a hush money payment.
"Donald J. Trump has only one conviction that matters," Chrisley said. "And that is his conviction to make America great again."
Todd and Julie Chrisley's sentences were later reduced to 10 and 5 years respectively, and Julie's sentence was sent back to a lower court for resentencing in June.
This reporting originally appeared as part of the NPR Network's live coverage of the RNC.
Rachel Treisman contributed reporting.
