• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
No Result
View All Result
Saturday, March 6, 2021
THE MILLENNIAL SOURCE
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter
TMS
No Result
View All Result
Home WORLD

Who was – and wasn’t – on Trump’s pardon list?

byChris Woodsand Edited byBrendan Monroe
January 25, 2021
in WORLD
Reading Time: 6 minute read
Who was – and wasn’t – on Trump’s pardon list?

Source: Steve Marcus, Reuters

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
Most notably, Trump did not pardon himself or his family. Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization face litigation including tax evasion, defamation and fraud.

January 19, President Donald Trump’s last full day in office, was busy. On that day, Trump granted clemency to 143 people, many of whom had close ties to the president. Below are a few of the more prominent individuals who received a presidential pardon.

Steve Bannon

In August of 2020, former Trump administration chief strategist Steve Bannon was charged with defrauding donors. According to the Department of Justice, Bannon, along with Brian Kolfage and two others, funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the “Build the Wall” campaign into their own pockets. 

This pardon was notable in that Bannon had previously claimed that he was innocent of his crimes, which breaks from the Department of Justice’s standard that those who receive pardons must first express “acceptance of responsibility, remorse, and atonement.” Bannon’s case was also at a very early stage, with the trial yet to take place.

In a statement released by the White House, Bannon was described as “an important leader in the conservative movement … known for his political acumen.”

Elliot Broidy

Another of those pardoned with close ties to Trump was Elliot Broidy. Broidy was a top Republican fundraiser who worked as a deputy finance chair for the Republican National Committee at the beginning of Trump’s presidency. He pleaded guilty in October of 2020 of using his ties to the Trump administration to do the bidding of a foreign government. 

In exchange for millions of dollars, Broidy lobbied the Justice Department to stop investigations into Jho Law, a Malaysian national who was under scrutiny for embezzling billions of dollars from the Malaysian government. 

Paul Erickson

Paul Erickson, a former conservative operative connected to Trump through the Russian interference investigation, was also granted a pardon. In July of 2020, Erickson was convicted of fraud and money laundering.

In a statement explaining the pardon, the Trump White House said, “Mr. Erickson’s conviction was based off the Russian collusion hoax. After finding no grounds to charge him with any crimes with respect to connections with Russia, he was charged with a minor financial crime.”

Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter & Bill K. Kapri, aka “Kodak Black”

Trump also pardoned Dwayne Carter (better known as Lil Wayne), Bill K. Kapri (better known as Kodak Black) and two others in the hip-hop industry. 

Carter met Trump in October of 2020, just ahead of the presidential election. He later tweeted an endorsement of Trump, saying, “besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership.” The White House promoted the tweet in an effort to appeal to Black voters.

Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership. He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done. 🤙🏾 pic.twitter.com/Q9c5k1yMWf

— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) October 29, 2020

A little less than a month before meeting with Trump, Carter pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a loaded gun. After his pardon, the White House released a statement saying, “Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks.”

Bill K. Kapri also received a commutation for his crimes. In August of 2019, Kapri pleaded guilty to “knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement in connection with the acquisition and attempted acquisition of a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer.” 

Bradford Cohen, who is the personal lawyer for both rappers, dismissed any claims that Trump granted the pardons in exchange for Carter’s endorsement, telling Rolling Stone, “President Trump and his administration have been tireless advocates on behalf of the African-American community.” Cohen added that Trump’s “pardons are a perfect example of this administration following up on its reforms and commitments.”

Notable omissions

Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage

Joseph Maldonado-Passage – better known as Joe Exotic from last year’s hugely popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King” – thought his pardon was a foregone conclusion. Maldonado-Passage was so convinced that he would be pardoned and released from prison on January 19 that his lawyer, Eric Love, told the British tabloid Metro, “We’re confident enough we already have a limousine parked about half a mile from the prison. We are really in action mode right now.”

This is the stretch Limo standing by at #JoeExotic Fort Worth Lawyers office. I’m told they’re waiting on a call from the White House confirming the presidential pardon before heading to pick him up at the prison. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/1tJzQHefxD

— Ken Molestina (@cbs11ken) January 19, 2021

After the White House released the list of pardons, Maldonado-Passage’s name was not included. In a statement directed at fans of the Netflix series, Love expressed his frustration with the decision. 

“We are … disappointed that The President did not sign Joe’s Pardon, as we were confident yesterday that he would. It is only because of you 140 million fans that Joe’s Pardon was even a possibility. Since his trial, the evidence has made it clear that Joe is not guilty but, rather, he is a victim of the persons he trusted most.”

Rudolph Giuliani 

Rumors circulated in December that Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani, who currently is not facing any charges, would receive a preemptive pardon before Trump left office. Instead, Trump left office without granting Giuliani clemency.

When asked about a potential pardon from the president, Giuliani texted Forbes journalist Andrew Solender, “I don’t need or want a pardon.”

Trump and his family

Most notably, Trump did not pardon himself or his family. Trump, his family and the Trump Organization face litigation including tax evasion, defamation and fraud. Despite this, Trump decided not to be the first president in the history of the United States to pardon himself.

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: Longer readNorth AmericaPolitics
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

After raising US$8.3 billion in loans, what’s Tencent going to do next?

After raising US$8.3 billion in loans, what’s Tencent going to do next?

March 4, 2021
How would Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2% wealth tax work?

How would Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2% wealth tax work?

March 4, 2021
The future of cryptocurrency

The future of cryptocurrency

March 3, 2021

After an ascendant 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is having a terrible 2021

March 3, 2021

The Biden administration’s changes to the Paycheck Protection Program

March 2, 2021

What are NFTs?

March 2, 2021

The Dasgupta Review offers economically viable solutions for combating climate change

March 2, 2021

Here are the biggest take-aways from CPAC 2021

March 1, 2021

LinkedIn is launching its own service for freelancers

March 1, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.