Coleton Furlow & Savannah Chrisley at CPAC in DC 2024

So we are here at CPAC DC 2024,

and I found someone who I didn’t think I’d ever see at a CPAC—

we have Savannah Chrisley! How are you?

I am good! I’m so happy to be here.

So what exactly are you doing here?

I know, right? What a shock!

I have been on reality television for 11 years.

I’ve been in the media world, which is a very liberal space,

and for as long as I can remember, I’ve always been told,

like, keep your politics to yourself.

Who knows? If you come out, you’ll lose certain business opportunities.

Which is so sad because you should never be persecuted

for what you believe in,

whether it’s religiously or politically.

But this year, I think I just had enough of it.

Especially with everything that’s happened with my family,

I was like, you know what? I’m part of the problem.

I’m part of the problem because I refuse to speak up,

and that’s what led me to speaking out.

So give me a little rundown of what exactly happened with your family.

Yeah, so oh gosh, where do we start?

I guess back in 2012, there was an investigation

that started in Fulton County, Georgia, with my parents

for alleged tax fraud, bank fraud—

all the anything the federal government can stack on you.

And it took the federal government seven years

to issue a federal indictment.

Seven years!

If your case was that strong,

it should have never taken you that long.

Sounds like what’s happening to President Trump right now—

it’s taken several years for them to come up with.

That’s my thing! If your case is that strong,

you should be able to come up with an indictment pretty quickly.

The evidence should be overwhelming, but it’s not.

And it just goes to show that if you have one person

within the federal government that wants you,

they can enlist everyone else to come after you,

and that’s exactly what happened to us.

The federal prosecutors referred to my family as the “Trumps of the South”

in Fulton County, Georgia, at trial.

So that’s kind of a compliment, I guess?

I know, right? I take it as a compliment!

Hey, I will take it as a compliment because at the end of the day,

that man has endured so much more than he ever should have,

and he is what our country needs to get us back in check and balance.

We need to completely deconstruct all of these government entities—

from the IRS to the DOJ to the FBI.

Every sector of the government needs to be completely deconstructed,

and that’s what I hope people open their eyes to.

So what did the judge actually mean by that, then?

Because I know it wasn’t a compliment.

Yeah, so, well, it was the federal prosecutors

who referred to us as the “Trumps of the South,”

and they wanted to use that term because,

obviously, President Trump has been accused of all kinds of fraud

and things of that nature.

So I guess that was really their way of inciting anger amongst the jurors.

And it’s like I’ve said in letters to people—

if you want to convict them, convict them,

but convict them on the truth.

There should be no reason for you to use the name Donald J. Trump

to incite anger and violence amongst jurors.

That should have never happened.

Right. So are they both in federal prison?

Tell me about that.

So my dad is in FPC Pensacola for 12 years,

and then my mom is at FMC Lexington.

So their dad’s in Florida, mom’s in Kentucky,

and since them being in prison,

it’s really opened my eyes to our conditions

and what’s really going on there.

Because you have— I mean, these facilities are old and run down.

There’s black mold, asbestos, lead-based paint.

They’re consuming food that says “not for human consumption”

literally on the packages.

And I saw a picture—it was expired—

expired from 2019!

So not only is it expired, but there are certain things on the meat

that say “not for human consumption.”

That’s unreal!

Yeah, and so when you start to look at these conditions,

I’m sorry, but I don’t want my taxpayer dollars

going to pay for this.

I don’t want my taxpayer dollars going to harm individuals

when we should rehabilitate them.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t have law and order—

because we should—but there should be rehabilitation.

There’s a reason why we have the highest recidivism rate

of all the NATO countries—

it’s because we’re not doing anything to rehabilitate these men and women.

Instead, we’re just harming them even more.

Right. So I heard something about you can’t practice your religious practices in prison?

Well, you can—everyone has their First Amendment right to do so—

but right now, at my dad’s facility, FPC Pensacola,

the warden has shut down the chapel,

and she’s also placing work before any religious practices.

So it’s being restricted.

Which it never should!

Depending on whether you’re Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, or Christian,

there are different practices for each religion,

and there should never be a time where your ability

to practice your religion is hindered.

Ever.

So I’m sure this whole experience has ticked you off a bit.

Oh yes!

Have you been getting involved in like Criminal Justice Reform?

Tell me about that.

I have! I have!

And coming out at CPAC was, I think, just the beginning of it.

I have made so many great connections here,

and I’ve got the opportunity to speak to political figures

that can make a difference.

And when I give them all the information that I’ve obtained

over the years or just over this past year and a half,

it’s going to be very shocking to them,

and I hope to be able to do that.

Yeah. So what’s your final message to the people out there

who seem to be not knowledgeable about what’s happening

in the prison systems?

For sure! I think, you know, honestly, I tell people,

don’t be me.

Don’t be me!

Don’t wait until the government cares about you

for you to care about what the government does.

Get a head start—know what you’re voting for,

know who you’re voting for,

know what policies you’re voting for

because it really does make a difference.

And also, I think amongst all of my conservative Christian believers,

you can’t sit and say that you’re pro-life

but not care about the men and women in our prison system.

You can’t sit and say you’re pro-life

and be for the death penalty and for execution.

I believe that sure, these people should have to sit in prison

if you’ve gone out here and killed someone,

but also—if you stand for execution,

then you’re saying that you don’t believe in redemption.

And I know as a Christian that redemption is possible for everyone.

And so I think it’s just open your eyes to something bigger than yourself.

Care about what’s going on in our country

because this is what we’re going to leave behind.

This is what we’re going to leave behind for our children,

and I don’t want this to be the country that’s left behind for my children.

Right. Well, that’s a good point that you bring up

because, um, I myself—like one of the top issues that I talk about is abortion.

So I’m very pro-life, but I used to be for the death penalty.

But then I thought about it and I said,

how can I be pro-life if I’m okay with that?

So now, you know, a lot of people are starting to become pro-life

from the moment of conception to natural death.

Yes! And I think that’s a good point.

So just tell everyone where they can find you

and follow you on social media to follow this story.

Yes! Savannah Chrisley on all platforms—super easy to find.

And I hope you guys follow along on this journey

because I’m going to be bringing more awareness

and getting involved politically with left and right.

That’s what I like to say—criminal justice reform isn’t a left or right issue,

it’s a humanity issue.

So if we can all come together and make a difference,

that’s what I strive to do.

Well, Savannah, thank you so much for being here at CPAC.

We’ll be praying for you,

and we hope to see you back at another CPAC soon!

Most certainly!