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NEW YORK (Dagbladet): Since the November election defeat, there has been much speculation about who the president of the United States will pardon before he has to leave the White House on January 20. Among the speculations is that he will forgive his family, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and even himself in so-called preventive pardons. Everyone participates in investigations in different ways.
On Tuesday night, just before Christmas, the first wave of controversial pardons occurred.
– Surrounded by Trump-Mini Me-er
15 people
Among the 15 people Trump is now pardoning are two of the people convicted during the Russia investigation, four Blackwater guards, who were convicted in connection with the killings of Iraqi civilians, and three former congressional representatives from the Republican Party convicted of corruption. This is stated in a press release from the White House on Tuesday night. Also, turn the punishment on five other people.
All of these will be perceived as highly controversial pardons.
George Papadopoulos and Alex van der Zwaan are two of those convicted during the Russia investigation in which letter investigator Robert Mueller investigated possible links between the Trump camp and Russian authorities during the 2016 election campaign. Both pleaded guilty. of lying to federal investigators and served short sentences. prison sentences.
“The Mueller-related pardons are a sign that more is coming for the people who were caught in that investigation, according to people close to the president,” writes the New York Times.
Recently, Trump also pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn. He himself admitted to having lied to the FBI about his contact with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
In recent days, Flynn has received a lot of attention for serving as an adviser to Trump. In an interview with Newsmax, he suggested that the military could be sent to crucial tip states so that Trump could reverse the election result.
In June, Trump also set aside punishment for his longtime friend and adviser, Roger Stone. Stone was also convicted of various charges related to the Russia investigation.
Involved in massacres
Also on the list of people Trump decided to pardon on Tuesday are four former soldiers, who were convicted of killing Iraqi civilians while working as contractors for the controversial Blackwater company in 2007.
One of them, Nicholas Slatten, was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was convicted of his role in the massacre of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad’s Nisour Square. The massacre has become known as a great stain on the United States during the Iraq war.
In addition, Trump also pardons three former representatives of the Republican Party in Congress.
Fraud
Duncan Hunter, was going to start serving an eleven-month prison sentence. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to the illegal use of campaign support.
Chris Collins of New York, who was an early Trump supporter, is serving a 26-month sentence. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to violations for lying to the FBI and conspiring to defraud securities.
The third, Steve Stockman, was convicted in 2018 of fraud and money laundering. He is serving a 10-year prison sentence.
Trump also granted a full pardon to two border guards, who were convicted for their role in the shooting of an alleged drug trafficker. Their sentence was previously overturned by then-President George W. Bush, so they did not have to spend time in prison.
