Donald Trump pardons 142 people including Steve Bannon (but not Joe Exotic)
Donald Trump has pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, as part of a flurry of action granting clemency to nearly 150 people.
In the last few hours of his tumultuous presidency, the departing Mr Trump announced pardons and commutations for 143 people, after midnight on Wednesday.
It comes on the same day that he is set to be replaced in the White House by President-elect Joe Biden.
The controversial practice of pardoning is not new but Mr Trump’s use of the privilege is likely to raise eyebrows. He did not pardon himself or the Tiger King TV star Joe Exotic, as rumours had suggested he might.
Bannon had been charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfil Mr Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border.
Instead, he allegedly diverted over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.
A statement from the White House said: ‘Prosecutors pursued Mr Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project.
‘Mr Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen.’
Mr Trump has already pardoned a series of long-time associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law; his long-time friend and adviser Roger Stone; and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who were prosecuted on federal weapons offences, were also granted pardons.
But the wave of pardonings did not stretch to other members of Mr Trump’s family or his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who Mr Trump is now accused of not paying.
Mr 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.
Full list of people Trump has pardoned
Steve Bannon
Elliott Broidy
Kwame Kilpatrick
Lil Wayne (real name Dwayne Michael Carte)
Kodak Black (born Bill Kahan Kapri)
Sholam Weiss
Anthony Levandowski
Todd Boulanger
Abel Holtz
Rick Renzi
Kenneth Kurson
Casey Urlacher
Carl Andrews Boggs
Dr Scott Harkonen
Johnny D Phillips Jr
Dr Mahmoud Reza Banki
James E Johnson Jr
Tommaso Buti
Glen Moss
Aviem Sella
John Nystrom
Scott Conor Crosby
Lynn Barney
Joshua J Smith
Amy Povah
Dr Frederick Nahas
David Tamman
Dr Faustino Bernadett
Paul Erickson
Gregory Jorgensen
Deborah Jorgensen
Martin Jorgensen (posthumous)
Todd Farha
Thaddeus Bereday
William Kale
Paul Behrens
Peter Clay
Patrick Lee Swisher
Robert Sherrill
Dr Robert S Corkern
David Lamar Clanton
George Gilmore
Desiree Perez
Robert ‘Bob’ Zangrillo
Hillel Nahmad
Brian McSwain
John Duncan Fordham
William ‘Ed’ Henry
Randall ‘Duke’ Cunningham – conditional pardon
Stephen Odzer
Steven Benjamin Floyd
Joey Hancock
David E Miller
James Austin Hayes
Drew Brownstein
Robert Bowker
Amir Khan
David Rowland
Jessica Frease
Robert Cannon ‘Robin’ Hayes
Thomas Kenton ‘Ken’ Ford
Michael Liberty
Greg Reyes
Ferrell Damon Scott
Jerry Donnell Walden
Jeffrey Alan Conway
Benedict Olberding
Syrita Steib-Martin
Michael Ashley
Lou Hobbs
Matthew Antoine Canady
Mario Claiborne
Rodney Nakia Gibson
Tom Leroy Whitehurst
Monstsho Eugene Vernon
Luis Fernando Sicard
DeWayne Phelps
Isaac Nelson
Traie Tavares Kelly
Javier Gonzales
Douglas Jemal
Eric Wesley Patton
Robert William Cawthon
Hal Knudson Mergler
Gary Evan Hendler
John Harold Wall
Steven Samuel
Clarence Olin Freeman
Fred Keith Alford
John Knock
Kenneth Charles Fragoso
Luis Gonzalez
Anthony DeJohn
Corvain Cooper
Way Quoe Long
Michael Pelletier
Craig Cesal
Darrell Frazier
Lavonne Roach
Blanca Virgen
Robert Francis
Brian Simmons
Derrick Smith
Jaime A Davidson
Raymond Hersman
David Barren
James Romans
Jonathon Braun
Michael Harris
Kyle Kimoto
Chalana McFarland
Eliyahu Weinstein
John Estin Davis
Alex Adjmi
Noah Kleinman
Tena Logan
MaryAnne Locke
Jawad A Musa
Adriana Shayota
April Coots
Caroline Yeats
Jodi Lynn Richter
Kristina Bohnenkamp
Mary Roberts
Cassandra Ann Kasowski
Lerna Lea Paulson
Ann Butler
Sydney Navarro
Tara Perry
Jon Harder
Chris Young
Adrianne Miller
Fred ‘Dave’ Clark
William Walters
James Brian Cruz
Salomon Melgen
Commuted sentences to time served:
Jeff Cheney, Marquis Dargon, Jennings Gilbert, Dwayne L Harrison, Reginald Dinez Johnson, Sharon King, and Hector Madrigal Sr.
White House officials had argued that the President 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.
Some had advised Mr Trump against pardoning Bannon, too. The two men had rekindled their relationship in recent times, with Mr Trump seeking support for his unproven claims of voter fraud, an official familiar with the situation said.
He also pardoned Elliott Broidy, a former top fundraiser for the campaign who pleaded guilty last year to violating foreign lobbying laws, and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges, a senior administration official said.
The outgoing President leaves office on Wednesday, when Joe Biden is sworn in amid huge concerns about more violence after Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol on January 6.
Mr Trump, who has long made baseless claims about election fraud, is not expected to attend the inauguration, in a historic break from tradition.
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