Trump pardons Bannon, grants clemency to reactionaries and criminals
President Donald Trump ended his presidency by granting clemency to 144 individuals, including one of his top fascist advisers, Stephen Bannon. On his way out of the White House, Trump issued 74 pardons and commuted the sentences of 70 others.
While there were a number of pardons and commutations for those convicted of low-level drug and weapons offenses, the vast bulk were reserved for convicted felons who had ties to Trump and were previously found guilty of evading or falsifying taxes, money laundering, insider trading or defrauding the US government.
Despite much speculation, Trump did not preemptively pardon himself, members of his family or those in the Trump organization. His lawyers advised against pardoning himself in light of the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, arguing that a self-pardon could give the appearance of guilt.
The list of those granted clemency includes:
Former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who was facing trial and a possible conviction for his role in a coordinated scheme to fleece the presidentâs supporters with a border wall fundraiser.
Kwame Kilpatrick, the disgraced former mayor of Detroit.
GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate foreign lobbying laws.
Ken Kurson, the former editor of the New York Observer and a close friend of son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Rapper Lil Wayne, who was prosecuted on federal weapons charges.
Kodak Black, in prison on federal weapons charges.
Anthony Levandoswki, convicted of stealing trade secrets related to self-driving cars.
Who has Trump pardoned? A full list OLD
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January 20, 2021, 3:58 AM·20 min read
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Donald Trump, pictured on December 7, 2020, has been pardoning allies before leaving office next month (AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump used his final hours as president to issue a slew of 143 pardons and commutations of sentence to friends and allies as he prepared to reluctantly hand over power to his Democratic successor Joe Biden.
A meeting with his inner circle at the White House on Sunday saw Mr Trump finalise the clemency list, a source told CNN.
Despite much speculation, he ultimately decided against issuing pre-emptive pardons to himself or members of his family or to the likes of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange or
Saturday, 9 January 2021, 12:31 pm
On January 6, 2020, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser
denied bail to WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian
Assange over fears that he could abscond while waiting for
the US to launch its appeal. Even as the ruling is patently
flawed
from a legal viewpoint, it also forces
us to think that the US and UK are actively striving for
Assange’s death. As Baraitser’s earlier decision to
block Assange’s extradition to USA clearly confirmed, his
mental health is already in poor shape, making him a suicide
risk. His prolonged incarceration in Belmarsh prison - considered
by many as “Britain’s Guantanamo” - will only