Twitter
Advertisement

In final day of presidency, Trump pardons ex-aide Steve Bannon, but not himself-check details

Bannon's clemency order eliminates any chance of punishment for him whose trial is still pending.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

President Donald Trump pardoned former chief strategist Steve Bannon in the last few hours of his Whitehouse term. This is part of a series of clemency actions benefitting more than 140 people, including rap performers, ex-members of Congress and other allies of him and his family.

It is to be noted that Bannon was charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to pay for a wall, Trump's chief electoral promise ahead of winning the 2016 elections.   

Normally, a pardon is only given to convicts who have faced justice and spent time in prison. But, the pardon to Bannon is against the norm as his prosection is still in its early stages, and has not been convicted yet. In fact, he was months away from trial in Manhattan

However, Bannon's clemency order eliminates any chance of punishment for him.

Bannon was charged for duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfill Trump's chief campaign promise to build a wall along the border with Mexico. But it was later found out that he diverted the funds for paying a salary to one campaign official, and his own personal expenses.     

The last-minute clemency, announced Wednesday morning, follows separate waves of pardons over the last month for Trump associates convicted in the FBI's Russia investigation as well as for the father of his son-in-law.

Many international media reports have stated that Trump has used his constitutional powers to extend favours to his friends and supporters.

Apart from Bannon, he pardoned Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser who pleaded guilty last fall in a scheme to lobby the White House to drop an investigation into the looting of a Malaysian wealth fund, and Ken Kurson, a friend of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner who was charged last October with cyberstalking during a heated divorce.

He had already pardoned his longtime associates and supporters, including 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.

Interestingly Trump has not pardoned himself. Notably, Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House of Representatives last week on charges of inciting the insurrection of the US Capitol on January 6 by pro-Trump protesters.

Trump will now face a senate trial, and if convicted, he will never be able to run for the presidency in 2024.

Some reports say that Trump has not issued a pardon for himself after his advisers cautioned that it would make him look guilty.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement