Donald Trump granted controversial pardons in his final hours in the White House: who were “pardoned”

In one of his final stages as President of the United States Donald trump granted a series of controversial pardons before leaving power. Among those who received a “pardon” from the Republican Party referent is the former chief strategy officer of Trump. This is the far right Stephen Bannon, that he is accused of defrauding donors for the construction of the controversial border wall with Mexico.

The last-minute measure was announced early in the morning and follows further waves of pardons extended last month to Trump aides convicted in the FBI’s Russia probe, as well as his son-in-law’s father, Charles Kushner. These actions demonstrate the president’s stance, during his four years in the White House, to use his constitutional powers to defy convention and explicitly benefit those close to him.

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Bannon’s case is one of the most resounding, as his investigation is in its first phase and there are still months to go before it goes to trial. When we normally consider that the beneficiaries of the presidential pardon are people who have had legal proceedings, who have been convicted and who have spent a period in prison. Trump’s forgiveness for his former chief strategy officer abandon the process and disables any possible sanction.

Bannon is accused of deceive thousands of donors who thought their money would be used to fulfill one of Trump’s biggest and most outrageous promises, to build a wall along the border with Mexico. The former US official has reportedly embezzled more than $ 1 million of those funds to pay a campaign official’s salary and personal expenses.

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In addition to Bannon among the Trump family allies who received pardon is Elliott Broidy. This is a Republican fundraiser who last year pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to hurry at the White House to drop an investigation into the looting of a Malaysian investment fund. Too Ken Kurson, friend of Trump’s son-in-law Kushner indicted in October Internet harassment in a heated divorce.

The list of winners includes a number of high profile defendants such as rappers Lil wayne and Kodak Black, who were convicted in Florida of possession of weapons. Wayne, real name Dwayne Michael Carter, has expressed his support for Trump on several occasions and recently met with him on criminal justice issues. The pardons also reached the co-founder of the record company Death Row Records Michael harris and the art dealer and collector Hillel Nahmad, among others.

Pay includes former Arizona Republican MP Rick Renzi, who spent three years in prison for corruption and money laundering, among other charges. In addition to the former representative of California Duke Cunningham, found guilty of accepting $ 2.4 million in bribes defense contractors and the former mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick, who spent about seven years in prison for a conspiracy of organized crime and corruption.