Deccan Chronicle

Don’s last-minute pardons include Bannon, 73 others

The commutatio­ns came in addition to actions Trump took after losing Nov. 3 elections FAREWELL ADDRESS: TRUMP’S ‘BEST WISHES’ TO NEW ADMIN

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Washington, Jan. 20: Outgoing President Donald Trump has pardoned his former political strategist Steve Bannon, one of the key architects of his 2016 electoral victory, as he issued a wave of pardons using the final hours of his presidency to grant clemency to 143 people.

The record 73 pardons and 70 commutatio­ns came in addition to the dozens of similar actions that Trump took after he lost the November 3 presidenti­al elections to Joe Biden of the Democratic

Party. Biden, 78, will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday.

The White House in a statement issued on Wednesday said that Trump granted a full pardon to Bannon, who was in charge of the final months of his 2016 presidenti­al campaign.

Bannon was indicted in August when New York federal prosecutor­s charged him and three others with defrauding donors of more than a million dollars as part of an

Washington, Jan. 20: Extending his “best wishes” and praying for the success of the new administra­tion in keeping America safe and prosperous, outgoing US President Donald Trump in his farewell address has said that Americans must unify around their shared

online fundraisin­g campaign purportedl­y aimed at supporting Trump's values and rise above partisan rancour to forge their common destiny.

Trump has still not fully accepted the result of last November's election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump, a Republican, made no mention of Biden in his prerecorde­d video address,

border wall.

The White House in its statement said Bannon but did allude to the violence at the Capitol earlier this month.

In the video farewell message released by the White House on Tuesday, Trump, 74, said he embarked on a mission to make America great again for all Americans. has been an important leader in the conservati­ve movement and is known for his political acumen.

Besides Bannon, other pardon recipients included Elliott Broidy, a former top fundraiser for Trump's campaign who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy relating to a secret lobbying campaign to influence the Trump administra­tion on behalf of a foreign billionair­e in exchange for millions of dollars, and Ken Kurson, a friend of Trump's son-inlaw Jared Kushner who was charged last October with cyberstalk­ing during a heated divorce.

Trump also granted a full pardon to rapper Lil Wayne who had pleaded guilty to a gun possession charge in Miami.

Another rapper, Kodak Black, received a commutatio­n after he pleaded guilty to a weapons charge. Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who supports a pardon for Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, described him as “trustworth­y, kind-hearted and generous,” the White House said.

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