Pardons in final hours
WASHINGTON: Outgoing United States President Donald Trump last night granted clemency to former White House aide Steve Bannon as part of a wave of pardons and commutations issued in his final hours in office, but did not pardon himself, members of his family or lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
White House officials had told Trump he should not pardon himself or his family, because it might look like they are guilty of crimes, a source said.
Bannon, a key adviser in Trump’s 2016 presidential run, was charged last year with swindling the president’s own supporters over an effort to raise private funds to build the USMexico border wall. He has pleaded not guilty.
‘‘Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,’’ the White House said in a statement.
White House officials had advised Trump against pardoning Bannon. The two men are said to have rekindled their relationship as Trump sought support for his unproven claims of voter fraud.
As part of more than 140 pardons and commutations, Trump also pardoned Elliott Broidy, a former top fundraiser for Trump who pleaded guilty last year to violating foreign lobbying laws, and former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was serving a 28year prison term on corruption charges.
Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who were prosecuted on federal weapons offences, were also granted pardons.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, whose partner Stella Moris has previously urged Trump to pardon him, was not pardoned.
Giuliani, who has been at the forefront of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, has not been charged with a crime, but investigators have been probing his activities in Ukraine.
The pardon power is one of the broadest available to a president. While pardons are typically given to people who have been prosecuted, they can cover conduct that has not yet resulted in legal proceedings.
In a farewell address yesterday, Trump touted his legacy and wished luck to the new administration of presidentelect Joe Biden, without acknowledging his successor by name.
Trump, who still has not formally conceded the election, will hold a sendoff event at Joint Air Force Base Andrews this morning, although top Republicans, including Vicepresident Mike Pence, are not expected to attend.