Washington: President Donald Trump has pardoned former chief strategist Steve Bannon as part of a late flurry of clemency action. Donald Trump is all set to pardon nearly 150 people, including rap stars and former members of Congress in his last hours in office. The pardons and commutations for 143 people, including Bannon, were announced after midnight Wednesday.
The persons who gave the news spoke on condition of anonymity. They stressed Trump flip-flopped repeatedly as he mulled his final actions. He warned that decisions could be reversed until it’s formally unveiled.
Pardon recipients are generally thought of as defendants who have faced justice, often by having served at least some prison time. However, Bannon’s case is different. A pardon for Bannon nullifies a prosecution that was still in its early stages and likely months away from trial in Manhattan. So by pardoning him, Trump has effectively eliminated any prospect for punishment.
Other presidents have issued controversial pardons at the ends of their administration. However, perhaps no commander-in-chief has so enjoyed using the clemency authority to benefit not only friends and acquaintances but also celebrity defendants and those championed by allies. Critics say such decisions result in far more deserving applicants being passed over.
“Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall. Trump had promised Mexico would pay for the wall,” Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said on Twitter. “And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is. Thank God we have only 12 more hours of this den of thieves.”
Bannon has been charged with duping thousands of investors. They believed their money would be used to fulfill Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border. Instead, he allegedly diverted over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself. Bannon did not respond to questions Tuesday.
Trump has already pardoned a slew of longtime associates and supporters. Among them are his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, his longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.