Tag Archives: pardons

Trump Pardons 143 Including Bannon And Broidy

The New York Times reports: President Trump has granted clemency to Stephen K. Bannon, the former White House chief strategist who was charged with defrauding political donors who supported building a border wall that Mr. Trump advocated, and Elliott Broidy, one of his top fund-raisers in 2016, among other people. Mr. Bannon was indicted and arrested in August by federal …

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Trump Allies Rake In Huge Fees From Pardon Seekers

The New York Times reports: As President Trump prepares to leave office in days, a lucrative market for pardons is coming to a head, with some of his allies collecting fees from wealthy felons or their associates to push the White House for clemency, according to documents and interviews with more than three dozen lobbyists and lawyers. The brisk market …

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Trump Pardons Former Security Advisor Michael Flynn

NPR reports: President Trump has pardoned his first national security adviser Michael Flynn, who spent years enmeshed in an often bizarre legal war with the government that sprung from the Russia investigation. The pardon brings an end to a long-running legal odyssey for Flynn, who was the only member of the Trump administration to be charged as part of special …

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Adam Schiff: Pardoning Stone Would Be Impeachable

Raw Story reports: Rep. Adam Schiff suggested that a presidential pardon for Roger Stone would be an impeachable offense. Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced the longtime Republican operative to 40 months in prison, saying Stone had lied to Congress and threatened a witness to cover up possible wrongdoing by President Donald Trump — and Schiff sent a warning against a …

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Woman Convicted In $205M Medicare Kickback Fraud Scheme: President Trump Has Given Me My Life Back

NBC News Miami reports: A woman who served nearly a decade behind bars for her role in a health care and money laundering scheme returned to Miami-Dade County early Wednesday morning. President Donald Trump on Tuesday commuted the prison sentence of Judith Negron, who was serving time for her role in a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme back in 2011. …

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Trump Pardons Ex-NFL Owner Convicted In Gambling Scandal, Paid Louisiana Governor For Casino License

ABC News reports: President Donald Trump has pardoned Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal. DeBartolo Jr., who built the San Francisco 49ers’ 1980s-’90s dynasty, was involved in one of the biggest owners’ scandals in the sport’s history. In 1998, he pleaded guilty to failing to report a felony when he paid …

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Feds May Prosecute Inmates Pardoned By KY Gov

Louisville’s CBS News affiliate reports: U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman told reporters Monday he will determine if any of the state inmates pardoned by former Gov. Matt Bevin also committed any federal crimes. “I will say this in regard to the underlying conduct in these pardons that were received … if the underlying conduct took place in the Western District of …

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Trump Won’t Rule Out Pardon For Roger Stone

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump said today he wouldn’t rule out pardoning Republican operative Roger Stone, describing what happened to his former confidant as “very tough” and criticizing federal prosecutors and investigators as “dirty cops” and “evil people.” “I’ve known Roger over the years. He’s a nice guy. A lot of people like him, and he got hit very …

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Scalise: Pardoning Murderers Boosts Military Morale

Politico reports: House Minority Whip Steve Scalise on Sunday voiced his support for President Donald Trump’s pardons of two Army officers who were accused of war crimes, arguing the move boosts morale in the military. “I’ve heard, from our men and women in uniform for years that they felt that they were sidelined because they needed a team of attorneys …

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Trump Celebrates Release Of Pardoned Murderer

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump celebrated the release of Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance — whom Trump freed from the remainder of a 19-year murder sentence — by tweeting a video of Lorance reuniting with his family. Trump’s grant of clemency was made over the objections of his own Department of Defense, according to news reports. From the linked Fox …

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Trump Pardons Former Soldier Who Killed Iraqi Prisoner

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump has pardoned a former U.S. soldier convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner, the White House announced Monday. Trump signed an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon, for former Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, of Oklahoma, press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Behenna was convicted of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone …

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Sen. Lindsey Graham: Pardoning Paul Manafort Would Be Seen As A “Political Disaster For The President”

ABC News reports: Shortly after Paul Manafort was sentenced to another 43 months behind bars on conspiracy charges by a federal judge in Washington, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell that any presidential pardon “would be an obstruction of justice.” “Pardoning Paul Manafort would in effect send a message that you can break the law, defy the justice …

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Trump Claims Cohen “Directly Asked” Him For Pardon

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that his former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen last year “directly asked me for a pardon.” Cohen’s legal adviser Lanny Davis had no immediate comment on the president’s allegation. The White House had no immediate comment. Last week, Cohen testified at length under oath before the House Oversight and Government Reform …

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Cohen Lawyer: He Didn’t Lie About Asking For Pardon

The Wall Street Journal reports: Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for President Trump, directed his attorney last spring to inquire about the possibility of a presidential pardon, weeks after federal agents raided his properties, Mr. Cohen’s lawyer said Wednesday, apparently contradicting his testimony before a House committee last week. Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Mr. Cohen, said Wednesday that in …

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Lawyers For Cohen And Trump Talked Pardon Last Year

The Wall Street Journal reports: An attorney for Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, raised the possibility of a pardon with attorneys for the president and his company after federal agents raided Mr. Cohen’s properties in April, according to people familiar with the discussions. Conversations among those parties are now being probed by congressional investigators, according to document requests …

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Lawmakers Press Cohen On Talks About Pardons

The Washington Post reports: Lawmakers are investigating whether President Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen was involved in any discussions about possible pardons — which they view as a potentially ripe area of inquiry into whether anyone sought to obstruct justice, people familiar with the matter said. Cohen has said publicly he never asked for — and would not accept …

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Dem Rep Introduces Constitutional Amendments That Would Abolish Electoral College, Limit Pardon Powers

Via press release from Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced two Constitutional Amendments today on the opening day of the new Congress. The first would eliminate the Electoral College and provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President of the United States. The second would limit …

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Rubio Warns Trump: If You Pardon Manafort, You Will Trigger A Debate About Amending Pardoning Powers

ABC News reports: Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said repeatedly that President Donald Trump pardoning former campaign chairman Paul Manafort would be a “terrible mistake,” and that doing so could possibly “trigger a debate about whether the pardon powers should be amended.” “I think that would be a terrible mistake if” Trump pardoned Manafort, Rubio said on “This Week” Sunday. “I …

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White House Officials Expect Pardon For Manafort

Politico reports: President Donald Trump’s lawyers and a cadre of informal White House advisers claim they’ve convinced him not to pardon Paul Manafort — but White House officials expect the president to do it anyway. The president’s characterization of his former campaign chairman as a victim and “brave man” is being read by aides as a signal that Trump wants …

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POLL: 20% Of GOP Voters Back Pardon For Manafort

Politico reports: A clear majority of voters say it would be inappropriate for President Donald Trump to pardon Paul Manafort or Michael Cohen, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. Six-in-10 voters, 60 percent, say it would be inappropriate for the president to pardon Manafort, his former campaign chairman. Only 11 percent say a pardon for Manafort would be appropriate. …

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