Trump issued a ton of last-minute pardons into Wednesday morning, including his former political strategist, two well-known rappers and a spy lover…
73 pardons plus 70 commutations issued in the final hours of his presidency exercising one of his last remaining powers.
After weeks focusing on contesting the election and reeling from the fallout of the January 6 insurrection, Trump finally snapped back to attention on pardons in recent days. One source said,
“You couldn’t get the President to focus on this.”
Steve Bannon who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he defrauded donors in a We Build the Wall online fundraising scam. One concern was Bannon’s connection to the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
He also pardoned Elliott Broidy, a top fundraiser for Trump’s campaign who pleaded guilty to conspiracy relating to a secret lobbying campaign to influence the Trump administration in exchange for millions. He said of Trump at the time that he was
“an idiot, who could not even pronounce the names of countries correctly”
but that he
“admired Mr. Trump’s uncanny ability to sexually abuse women and get away with it.”
According to CNN, others included in the most recent pardon flurry;
- Lil Wayne –pardoned after pleading guilty to a gun possession charge in Miami
- Kodak Black –the rapper received a commutation after he pleaded guilty to a weapons charge
- Paul Erickson –political operative and ex-boyfiend of Russian spy Maria Butina, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering
- Robin Hayes –North Carolina political donor convicted of trying to bribe officials
- Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick –convinced of federal charges including racketeering, extortion and filing false tax returns
- William Walters –professional gambler convicted of insider trading
- Aviem Sella –Israeli air force officer, accused of being a spy
- Bob Zangrillo– Miami developer charged in the Varsity Blues college admission scandal was pardoned although none of the other parents were
Trump nor any of the members of his crime family were included on the list.
Trump pardoned 237 people. You can see them all here. Sounds like a lot, right?
But he’s not at the top of the list of all-time number of pardons –not even close. The trick with Trump is most of his are personal political paybacks, as opposed to injustices being corrected.
Trump has been MUCH more brazen to reward political loyalty, especially those that did not cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller‘s Russia investigation, like long-time friend and convicted liar Roger Stone, former campaign manager Paul Manafort and former National Security Advisor Michel Flynn,
Only two presidents issued no pardons, William Henry Harrison, who died a of pneumonia after giving a two hour inaugural speech in the cold with no hat or coat and James Garfield, who was assassinated just a few months into office.
Here are some that are notable for their totals:
- Ronald Reagan, 406
- Bill Clinton, 459
- Richard M. Nixon, 986
- Barack Obama, 1,927
- Woodrow Wilson, 2480
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 3,687
- Andrew Johnson, 7,000 in tax pardon, plus 654 others & ALL former Confederates of the Civil War
