The outgoing president of U.S, Donald Trump, pardoned this Wednesday, hours before leaving power, whoever your important strategist, the far-right Steven Bannon, charged with defraud donors for the construction of the controversial border wall with Mexico, confirmed the White House in a statement.
This latest list of pardons is densely populated by more mainstream candidates whose cases had been defended by criminal justice activists. For example, to a man who has spent nearly 24 years in prison on drug and weapons charges, but who had shown exemplary behavior behind bars, the sentence was commuted, as did a former Marine sentenced in 2000 in connection with a cocaine conviction.
However, the names of Trump’s prominent 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, a move that is in keeping with a long presidential tradition of promoting pardons at the end of his term.
Lil Wayne, guilty of one count of possession of weapons in Miami. Photo: EFE
In addition to Bannon, the pardons affect two well known rappers Americans and politicians and businessmen who, at some point, have formed part of Trump’s environment.
Bannon
The measure comes after days of deliberations in the circle of the outgoing president on the suitability of pardoning one of the Campaign architects presidential in 2016 and his beginnings in the Government.
Despite his important role in those times, the relationship between Trump and Bannon broke down a few months after his arrival 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 had previously directed the far-right media and conspiratorial Breitbart News, that he had “lost his mind”, and that “when he was fired he cried and begged for his position.”
Steve Bannon, the “creator” of Trump. Photo: EFE
Among those pardoned are Elliott Broidy, a former Trump campaign fundraiser who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy.
Rappers Lil Wayne, guilty of one count of possession of weapons in Miami, and Kodak Black, sentenced on a charge related to the possession of weapons, have also been pardoned.
Trump also granted clemency to Paul erickson, the conservative political agent and ex-partner of suspected Russian spy Maria Butina, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges.
It also included Anthony Levandowski, that he was an engineer for Google and that he admitted to stealing secret technology related to the company’s autonomous cars.
It has 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 tax returns; o William Walters, a professional gamer convicted of insider trading; and Aviem Sella, an Israeli air force officer whom the United States accused of being a spy.
Though neither Trump nor members of his family have been included in this list, the outgoing president still has a few hours to issue more sentence waivers and pardons before leaving office.
EFE and AP
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