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By Reuters 
1 hour ago
By Steve Holland
Washington – US President Donald Trump has granted clemency to former White House aide Steve Bannon as part of a wave of clemency and commutations he will issue during his final hours in office, a senior administration official said.
Trump was not expected to forgive himself, his family members or lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was at the forefront of unsuccessful efforts to have the 2020 presidential election results annulled, according to sources.
Trump leaves office on Wednesday, when Joe Biden will be sworn in as the nation’s next president.
Trump also pardoned rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who were indicted for federal gun crimes, as well as former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges, said a senior. administration official.
Bannon, who was a key adviser to Trump’s 2016 presidential race, was accused last year of defrauding Trump supporters in an effort to raise private funds to build the president’s wall on the US-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty.
White House officials had advised Trump not to spare Bannon. The two men have recently rekindled their relationship when Trump sought support for his unproven claims of voter fraud, an official familiar with the situation said.
Bannon, 67, is the latest prominent political ally to receive clemency from Trump, who has often used the powers of the executive branch to reward loyalists and punish his enemies.
Trump previously pardoned former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI about his conversation with the former Russian ambassador, and commuted the prison sentence for Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress during his investigation into Russian interference in the presidential elections. 2016. election.
Bannon can still be charged in New York state court, where a pardon would not help him, said Daniel R. Alonso, a former prosecutor who now works at the Buckley law firm. Fraud prosecutions are often filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Alonso said.
Lil Wayne, 38, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, pleaded guilty in federal court in December to illegally possessing a firearm and faces up to 10 years in prison. He has voiced support for Trump’s criminal justice reform efforts.
Kodak Black, 23, who was born Bill Kahan Kapri, is in federal prison for making a false statement to purchase a firearm.
Reuters
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