Trump pardons Robin Hayes, part of NCâs worst political corruption scandal
Trump pardons Robin Hayes, part of NCâs worst political corruption scandal By Michael Gordon | January 20, 2021 at 7:50 AM EST - Updated January 20 at 7:57 AM
NORTH CAROLINA (Charlotte Observer) - Former Republican Congressman Robin Hayes, swept up in one of North Carolinaâs worst political corruption scandals, received a late-night pardon Tuesday from President Donald Trump.
In a deal with prosecutors to avoid trial and a potentially long prison term, Hayes, 75, pleaded guilty in 2019 to lying to the FBI in connection with the plot to bribe Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey.
Donald Trump grants clemency to 144 people (not himself or family members) in final hours Kevin Johnson, David Jackson and Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY
President Trump grants clemency to 148 people, but not for himself or his family
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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly used his clemency authority as a political tool rather than an act of mercy, issued a final wave of pardons and commutations during his final hours in office, delivering relief for a mix of beneficiaries that included former strategist Steve Bannon, Republican Party and Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, found guilty in 2013 of corruption charges.
Trump pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon and other notable figures.
President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, speaks with reporters in New York after pleading not guilty to charges that he ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme to build a southern border wall. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File)
(CN) In his final hours in office, President Donald Trump pardoned 73 people, including his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, rapper “Lil Wayne,” and a Republican fundraiser.
Around 1 a.m. Wednesday, the White House released the list of Trump’s pardons and an additional 70 sentence commutations. Trump is set to leave Washington at 8 a.m., before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.