Trump Issues 143 Pardons or Commutations - Steve Bannon Included

What Happened:

• Early Wednesday morning, President Trump issued dozens of pardons and commutations during his final hours in office. In total, 73 people were pardoned and 70 people received commutations.

• The majority of the pardons and commutations were conventional and focused on people championed by criminal justice reform advocates, however, a few controversial names were also included.

• Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist who was charged with defrauding donors in the "We Build The Wall" campaign, was pardoned.

• Elliott Broidy, a former Trump fundraiser who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for receiving millions to influence the Trump administration, was also pardoned.

• The rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black both received clemency for their weapons charges.

• Other notable names included were Paul Erickson, a conservative political operative who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges; Robin Hayes, a political donor convicted of trying to bribe officials; and former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was convicted of extortion, racketeering and tax fraud.

• Notably, Trump did not issue pardons for himself or his family, something White House sources say he had been contemplating for the last several weeks but was advised against by legal counsel.

• The practice of issuing last minute pardons and commutations is typical of most presidents. What stood out in Trump's case were the high number of Trump allies charged with corruption or lying that were also included in the list.

Photo Source: whitehouse.gov

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