President Trump Grants Wave Of Pardons And Commutations As Term Nearing End

United States President Donald Trump has initiated a huge wave of pardons and commutations based on recommendations from allies and media. There were a lot of familiar names who got pardoned, including men who pleaded guilty in the Robert Mueller investigation and some Republican allies who once served in Congress.

There were full pardons issued on 15 individuals and commuted part or all of the sentences of an additional five people, the White House announced via Fox News.

Among those in that list include Duncan Hunter, a former GOP congressman from California, Chris Collins, a former GOP representative from New York and Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos.

The basis for the pardons was upon the recommendation of the Trump allies in Congress and the media. There were also recommendations coming from Alice Johnson whose sentence was commuted at the request of Kim Kardashian.

Among the ones pardoned, that drew attention was Papadopoulos. The former campaign advisor was convicted for making false statements during the Mueller investigation. He was sentenced to 14 days in prison and a $9,500 fine for lying to the FBI during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to misleading federal investigators about his meetings with Russia-connected Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud.

It appears the wave of pardons is just the beginning. More pardons and commutations are expected to follow in the coming weeks as Trump’s term comes to a close.

One of those included was Rep. Steve Stockman, a Texas Republican who was convicted by a jury in Texas of almost two dozen felonies. The announcement included commuting his remaining prison term that includes fraud and money laundering.

Stockman’s age (64) and underlying pre-existing health conditions that place his health at greater risk during the COVID epidemic were singled out by the White House. He has already contracted COVID while in prison. Stockman had served two years of his 10-year sentence for what prosecutors called "a white-collar crime spree," CNN reported.

With a long list coming out Tuesday, more names are expected to follow in the coming weeks. Some sentences were also reduced, including three women Crystal Munoz, Tynice Nichole Hall and Judith Negron. They were convicted of drug crimes but the sentences were reduced at the recommendation of Johnson.