Tag: Trump pardons

Using Connections to Trump, Dershowitz Became Force in Clemency Grants

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The lawyer Alan M. Dershowitz, who represented the former president in his first impeachment trial, used his access for a wide array of clients as they sought pardons or commutations.

WASHINGTON — By the time George Nader pleaded guilty last year to possessing child pornography and sex trafficking a minor, his once strong alliances in President Donald J. Trump’s inner circle had been eroded by his cooperation with the special counsel’s investigation into Mr. Trump’s team and its connections to Russia.

So as Mr. Nader sought to fight the charges and reduce his potential prison time, he turned to a lawyer with a deep reservoir of good will with the president and a penchant for taking unpopular, headline-grabbing cases: Alan M. Dershowitz.

Mr. Dershowitz told Mr. Nader’s allies that he had reached out to an official in the Trump administration and one in the Israeli government to try to assess whether they would support a plan for Mr. Nader to be freed from United States custody in order to resume a behind-the-scenes role in Middle East peace talks, and whether Mr. Trump might consider commuting his 10-year sentence. Continue reading.

The cottage industry behind Trump’s pardons: How the rich and well-connected got ahead at the expense of others

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A federal judge in South Dakota was blunt last summer when she sentenced Paul Erickson, a seasoned Republican operative who had pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.

“What comes through is that you’re a thief, and you’ve betrayed your friends, your family, pretty much everyone you know,” District Judge Karen E. Schreier told Erickson in July, before sentencing him to seven years in prison for scamming dozens of people out of $5.3 million.

But Erickson, who had advised GOP presidential campaigns and a noted conservative organization, had a way out. Continue reading.

Trump pardons former congressman whose actions helped prompt earmark ban

Former Republican Reps. Rick Renzi and Robin Hayes also pardoned

Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham of California became a lead example of how lawmakers can abuse their office for financial gain and prompted lasting changes to the congressional appropriations process when he went to prison 15 years ago for taking $2.4 million in bribes that involved a yacht named the “Duke-Stir.”

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump gave a full pardon to Cunningham and two other former Republican members of Congress as one of his final acts in office, extending a streak of giving a break to politicians who faced corruption charges.

Also on a list of more than 140 pardons and commuted sentences was former Rep. Rick Renzi of Arizona, who was sentenced to two years in prison on 17 charges of fraud, racketeering and public corruption.  Continue reading.

New report reveals multiple GOP lawmakers sought pardons for their roles in the Capitol riot

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With President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony less than 24 hours away, reporters have been wondering who President Donald Trump will grant pardons to during his remaining time in the White House. And according to CNN’s sources, Trump has decided against granting them to GOP lawmakers who spoke at or helped put together his “Save America Rally” in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.

That rally took place before a violent mob of far-right extremists and Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Building. The U.S. House of Representatives has since indicted Trump on an article of impeachment for “incitement to insurrection.”

In an article published by CNN’s website the day before Biden’s inauguration, reporters Kaitlan Collins, Kevin Liptak and Pamela Brown explain: Continue reading.

Trump grants flurry of last-minute pardons

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President Trump issued 73 pardons and commuted the sentences of 70 individuals early Wednesday, 11 hours from leaving office.

Why it matters: It’s a last-minute gift to some of the president’s loyalists and an evident use of executive power with only hours left of his presidency. Axios reported in December that Trump planned to grant pardons to “every person who ever talked to me.”

For the record: Some pardons and commutations were granted to Trump’s allies, while others were related to criminal justice issues.  Continue reading.

Trump advances far-right GOP congressman’s call for multiple pardons — including a self-pardon

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On Wednesday afternoon, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving, President Donald Trump announced he had granted his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, a presidential pardon. More pardons of Trump allies are expected during his final months in the White House, and one far-right Republican who is encouraging the president to make maximum use of his ability to pardon allies is Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Moreover, Gaetz is stressing that Trump should pardon himself before he leaves office.

Gaetz, on November 24, tweeted, “President Trump should pardon Flynn, the Thanksgiving turkey, and everyone from himself, to his admin, to Joe Exotic if he has to. The Left has a bloodlust that will only be quenched if they come for those who fought with @realDonaldTrump to deliver for the American people.” And Trump forwarded Gaetz’ tweet.

Trump hasn’t been charged with any crimes, but after he leaves the White House on January 20, 2021 — the day of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration — he could be the target of multiple investigations at the federal and state levels. Trump’s finances have been the subject of a criminal investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., and his ability to grant presidential pardons only exists at the federal level and not at the state level. Flynn was pardoned for federal offenses he pled guilty to. Continue reading.

Trump’s pardons of white-collar criminals resembles ‘kleptocracies’ in Afghanistan and elsewhere: corruption expert

AlterNet logoOn February 18, President Donald Trump granted presidential pardons or clemency to 11 people, ranging from former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to financial criminal Michael Milken (dubbed “The Junk Bond King”) to former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik (a long-time ally of Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani). Trump has drawn some praise from the left for pardoning two non-violent drug offenders, Crystal Munoz and Tynice Nichole Hall, but he reserved most his pardons for wealthy white males convicted of white-collar crimes. Sarah Chayes, author of the book “Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens National Security,” analyzes Trump’s recent pardon/clemency spree in an article for The Atlantic — and explains why the pardon of Blagojevich and others reminds her of the type of corruption she has studied in some developing countries.

“Donald Trump’s decision this week to pardon several Americans convicted of fraud or corruption has garnered condemnation from many in the political establishment,” Chayes explains. “The pardons were shocking to some, but to me, they were eerily familiar — straight out of the kleptocratic playbook I’ve experienced and studied in a dozen other countries.

Chayes cites Afghanistan as one of the “kleptocracies” she has studied. A “palace aide” in that country, Chayes recalls, was arrested for “extorting a bribe,” but the charge was dropped after Afghan President Hamid Karzai “made a call.” Continue reading.

Trump issues pardons in war crimes cases, despite Pentagon opposition to the move

Washington Post logoPresident Trump intervened in three cases involving war crimes accusations on Friday, issuing full pardons to two soldiers and reversing disciplinary action against a Navy SEAL despite opposition raised by military justice experts and some senior Pentagon officials.

The White House said in a statement Friday night that Trump, as commander in chief, is “ultimately responsible for ensuring that the law is enforced and when appropriate, that mercy is granted.”

“For more than two hundred years, presidents have used their authority to offer second chances to deserving individuals, including those in uniform who have served our country,” the statement said.

View the complete November 15 article by Dan Lamothe on The Washington Post website here.

It’s not normal: Trump’s obstruction and pardon moves

The following article by Jonathan Swan and Mike Allen was posted on the Axios website June 1, 2018:

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser, Axios

By any historical measure, it’s highly unusual for President Trump to repeatedly pressure his attorney general to intervene in an investigation of the White House, as Axios scooped late yesterday.

Why it matters: By any historical measure, it’s highly unusual to have a special prosecutor probing whether a president obstructed justice during his first days in office, like the Robert Mueller investigation is doing. By any historical measure, it’s highly unusual for a president this early in his term to pardon a controversial political donor (conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza) — and to signal he might pardon other celebrity criminals, like Trump did yesterday with Martha Stewart and more. Continue reading “It’s not normal: Trump’s obstruction and pardon moves”

Here’s a reminder of some of Dinesh D’Souza’s inflammatory comments

The following article by Eugene Scott was posted on the Washington Post May 31, 2018:

President Trump has made many high-profile pardons, and is considering more. Here’s what his pardoning strategy says about his view of the legal system. (Jenny Starrs /The Washington Post)

When President Trump pardoned Dinesh D’Souza on Thursday, he was pardoning one of the most inflammatory voices on the right.

The author and frequent critic of liberals pleaded guilty in 2014 to violating federal campaign finance laws and was indicted on charges that he illegally used straw donors to contribute to a Republican Senate candidate in New York in 2012. The Washington Post previously reported that D’Souza was sentenced to five years’ probation, including eight months of living under supervision in San Diego, and a $30,000 fine. Continue reading “Here’s a reminder of some of Dinesh D’Souza’s inflammatory comments”