Teresa Giudice and Daughter Gia Visit White House as Family Pushes for Donald Trump to Pardon Ex-Husband Joe

Teresa Giudice and her daughter Gia Giudice recently dropped by the White House amidst Joe Giudice's hopes to get a presidential pardon after his deportation.

Now, President Donald Trump's deputy assistant and senior advisor, Lynne Patton, has cleared the air on the matter.

Turning to Instagram, Lynne shared that the Real Housewives of New Jersey star and her daughter actually came to Washington, D.C., at the “invitation” of the president and First Lady Melania Trump.

This was reportedly done in “honor of Columbus Day & Italian-American heritage.”

Lynne continued, "I have known Teresa and her family, including @joe.giudice, for nearly two decades. I’ve attended family gatherings at their former New Jersey homes where Joe taught me how to roll meatballs & Teresa’s beloved father once showed me how to make his famous homemade wine."

At the same time, the prez's senior advisor also clarified, "I am not in charge of pardons. Nor do I decide who receives them. That is the President’s sole decision based upon recommendations from the White House Pardon Czar, @alicemariefree, and White House Counsel."

"However, I will say this: I believe deeply in second chances. After all, the President and his family personally gave me one. Or ten," she continued in the post, which featured a carousel, including pictures that she shared with the Giudices during their trip.

Referring to her own relapse with her cocaine addiction in 2013 while working at the Trump Organization, Lynne then explained, "@erictrump and his then girlfriend, @laraleatrump, held an emotional intervention for me that I credit with saving my life."

Lynne emphasized that, since that incident, she has been "drug-free for 13 years" to date.

"They could have fired me. But instead, they told me that I was worth saving. Even when I didn’t believe that myself. Instead of sidelining me, they gave me more responsibility," she continued, expressing gratitude for the move.

"I worked harder. Stayed in the office longer. Arrived earlier. More importantly, I earned back their trust & friendship. In turn, that translated into more self-confidence and earned promotions — including a personal request from their father to join him in DC. It rebuilt my determination to succeed & help others do the same," the 53-year-old added.

She then highlighted the importance of "a father's place in the home," citing statistics and the Bible to confirm the same.

Referencing Charlie Kirk's thought process, Lynne wrote that "the biblical role of the father to his child is to be their protector, both physically & spiritually. Quality time is everything. And no, it is never too late to be the provider who God intended every father to be."

"Do I believe that Joe deserves a second chance? Unfortunately, it is not my place to decide," she continued, adding, "But what I do know is that one of his beautiful daughters desperately needs him now more than ever. And even God supports that."

For those unversed, Joe was deported back in 2019 - a decade after he and Teresa filed for bankruptcy, claiming they had an $11 million debt - before being indicted on fraud charges five years later and eventually pleading guilty.

While Teresa served 11 months of a 15-month sentence in prison in 2015, Joe served 41 months and was sent back to his native Italy upon his release.

Though the pair have since separated, with her marrying Luis Ruelas in 2022, Teresa has still supported her family’s desire to get Joe a pardon, commenting supportively on his Instagram post in which he asked the president for a chance to be pardoned and return to the U.S.