Hours before leaving, Trump pardons dozens of people, including his former strategist, far-right Steven Bannon

The outgoing president of United States, Donald Trump, pardoned this Wednesday, a few hours before leaving power, whatever it is your important strategist, the far right Steven Bannon, accused of defraud donors for the construction of the controversial border wall with Mexico, the White House confirmed in a statement.

This latest pardon list is densely populated with more traditional candidates whose cases had been defended by criminal justice activists. For example, to a man who spent almost 24 years in prison for drug and arms trafficking, but who demonstrated exemplary behavior behind bars, the sentence has been commuted, just like a former Marine convicted in 2000 for a conviction for cocaine.

However, the names of Trump’s leading allies they stand out on the list of last-minute presidential pardon recipients.

Trump granted a total of 73 pardons and commuted their respective sentences to other 70 people, an approach that is part of a long presidential tradition of promoting pardons at the last moment of his mandate.

In addition to Bannon, forgiveness affects two famous rappers Americans – Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, both accused of firearms – and politicians and businessmen who, at one point, formed is part of Trump’s environment.

Bannon

The measure comes after days of deliberations in the circle of the outgoing president on the advisability of forgiving one of the Countryside architects presidential election in 2016 and his debut in government.

Despite his important role during this time, the relationship between Trump and Bannon fell apart a few months after he arrived at the White House when the strategist criticized the president’s children and he was fired.

Trump went so far as to say of Bannon, who previously led the far-right media and Conspiracionista Breitbart News, that he had “lost his mind” and that “when he was fired he cried and begged for his position”.

Among those pardoned are Elliott Broidy, a former Trump campaign fundraiser who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy.

Rappers Lil Wayne, on one count of possession of weapons in Miami, and Kodak Black, convicted of possession of weapons, have also been pardoned.

Trump also granted clemency to Paul Erickson, the conservative political agent and ex-partner of alleged Russian spy Maria Butina, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.

It also included Anthony Levandowski, that he was an engineer for Google and admitted to stealing secret technology related to the company’s self-driving cars.

He also benefited Robin hayes, a North Carolina political donor convicted of attempting to bribe officials; the former mayor of Detroit; Kwame Kilpatrick, charged with federal charges including racketeering, extortion, and filing false income tax returns; o William Walters, a professional gambler convicted of insider trading; and Aviem Sella, an Israeli Air Force officer whom the United States accused of being a spy.

Even if neither Trump nor his family members were included on this list, the outgoing president still has a few hours to issue further sentence waivers and pardons before stepping down.

EFE and AP

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