Trump bows out with pardons
Donald Trump pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon as part of a late flurry of clemency action benefiting nearly 150 people, including rap stars and former members of Congress.
The pardons and commutations for 143 people, including Bannon, were announced in the final hours of Trump’s White House term.
They followed waves of pardons over the last month for Trump allies, including associates convicted in the FBI’s Russia investigation as well as the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Bannon’s prosecution was still in its early stages and months away from trial. He had been charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfil Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Instead, he allegedly diverted over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.
Trump offered rare, kind words to his successor Joe Biden in a farewell video, while failing to address him by name, as he spent his final full day in office in a near-deserted White House, surrounded by an extraordinary security presence outside.
‘‘This week we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,’’ Trump said in the video ‘‘farewell address’’, released by the White House yesterday. ‘‘We extend our best wishes. And we also want them to have luck. A very important word.’’
Trump spent much of the address trumpeting what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalise relations in the Middle East, the development of coronavirus vaccinations, and the creation of a new Space Force.
‘‘We did what we came here to do – and so much more,’’ he said during the nearly 20-minute address.
Trump has remained largely out of sight since his supporters stormed the Capitol building earlier this month, trying to halt the peaceful transfer of power.
Trump was due to leave Washington at 2am today NZ time, and had planned a grand farewell event at nearby Joint Base Andrews.
There, he was to board Air Force One for a final time, flying to Florida and becoming the first outgoing president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of his successor.