Gifts that keep on giving.
Donald Trump pardons: Steve Bannon, Elliott Broidy, Kwame Kilpatrick (usatoday.com)
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly used his clemency authority as a political tool rather than an act of mercy, issued a final wave of pardons and commutations on his last night in office, delivering relief for a mix of beneficiaries
that included former strategist Stephen Bannon, Republican Party and Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy, and
former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, found guilty in 2013 of corruption charges.
He granted pardons to 73 people and commuted the sentences of another 70 people, according to a news release from the White House.
Several high-profile figures received pardons, including:
- Former Republican House member Rick Renzi of Arizona, convicted in 2013 of extortion, bribery, insurance fraud, money laundering, and racketeering. Renzi left prison in 2017.
- Former Rep. Randall “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., who was released from prison in 2013 after serving eight years for charges of bribery, fraud, and tax evasion.
- Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., the rapper known as Lil Wayne, who pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
- Broidy, who pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent and accepting money from Chinese and Malaysian interests to lobby the Trump administration.
- Bannon, who was awaiting trial in Manhattan on federal fraud charges tied to a border wall fundraising effort.