Donald Trump pardons dozens, including Steve Bannon, on last night of his presidency
- Trump pardons ex-aide Bannon but not himself or family
- US president granted clemency to some 143 individuals
Donald Trump granted a presidential pardon to his former chief strategist Steve Bannon as part of a late flurry of clemency action benefiting 143 people, but not himself.
The 73 pardons and 70 commutations were announced after midnight Wednesday in the final hours of Trump’s White House term.
“Mr Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,” the White House said in a statement.
The New York Times earlier reported that the president – who will leave office on Wednesday – made his last-minute decision after speaking to Bannon by phone.
White House officials had advised Trump against pardoning Bannon. The two men had lately rekindled their relationship as Trump sought support for his unproven claims of voter fraud, an official familiar with the situation said.
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Trump did not pardon himself, members of his family or lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House last week on charges of inciting the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by the president’s supporters. He may face a Senate trial and could be barred from running for president again if convicted.
Giuliani, who has been at the forefront of unsuccessful efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, has not been charged with a crime, but investigators have been probing his activities in Ukraine.
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A president’s pardon power under the Constitution is near absolute, and other presidents have used it to bestow favours on friends and associates.
Pardons are intended as a show of mercy to offenders who demonstrate contrition for their actions, but few of Trump’s picks have done so. Commutations reduce the sentences that petitioners are serving but, unlike pardons, leave convictions intact.
Trump leaves office on Wednesday, when Joe Biden is sworn in as the nation’s next president. White House officials had argued to Trump that he should not pardon himself or his family because it might look like they are guilty of crimes, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The president pardoned former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges. Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black who were prosecuted on federal weapons offences, were also granted pardons.
Despite speculation, the list did not include the subject of the Netflix series Tiger King, Joe Exotic, who is serving a 22-year prison sentence for plotting to kill a rival and animal cruelty.
Bannon, 67, is the latest prominent political ally to receive clemency from Trump, who has often used the powers of the executive branch to reward loyalists and punish his enemies.
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Bannon can still be charged in state court in New York, where a pardon would not help him, said Daniel Alonso, a former prosecutor now at the Buckley law firm. Fraud prosecutions are frequently brought by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Alonso said.
Trump, who delivered his first pardon in August 2017, his first year in office, had issued 70 in total before Wednesday, many of which have been given to people who are friendly with his administration.
Trump’s pardons have also included some people tied to celebrities, including Alice Marie Johnson, a woman convicted on drug charges whose case was championed by reality television star Kim Kardashian West.
Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, who served two terms, granted clemency 1,927 times, including 212 pardons and 1,715 commutations.
Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters, Tribune News Service
