Trump’s Second Wave Of Pardons Includes Charles Kushner, Roger Stone, And Paul Manafort
As part of his latest pardoning spree, President Donald Trump pardoned two associates, including Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, on Wednesday. Both of the aforementioned allies of the president were convicted as part of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
Aside from that, the president granted pardon to Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner, his son-in-law. This marks the second consecutive day the president pardoned people from his close circle and those with White House connections.
Shortly after landing in Palm Beach, Florida, for his winter vacation, Trump made the announcements. Trump's longtime associate, Roger Stone, was convicted in Nov. last year by a jury in Washington, D.C., of deceiving Congress in relation to its independent investigation into Russian interference, blocking an official proceeding, as well as witness tampering.
Trump spared Stone from prison in July just days before he was scheduled to report to prison, per BBC. The full pardon included a note from press secretary Kayleigh McEnany that pointed out that Stone wasn't treated fairly. The chairman of Trump's 2016 campaign, Manafort, on the other hand, was convicted two years ago on tax charges and bank fraud.
Manafort was sentenced to over seven years in prison and was later released to home confinement to restrict the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The president issued a full and complete pardon to Manafort, with McEnany explaining that his convictions were based on the Russian collusion hoax. The Manhattan district attorney is currently appealing its case against Manafort.
This second wave of pardoning saw 26 people in the president's close circle relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from their criminal conviction in less than 48 hours, according to The Guardian. The outlet described the president's second wave of clemency actions as an audacious use of presidential power to reward those who have been loyal to him during the presidency.
By issuing pardons for Stone and Manafort, Trump has reversed criminal consequences for his loyalists who were captured in Mueller's investigation into the interference from Russia in the 2016 presidential election. For a major portion of his first two years in office, Trump criticized the investigation, The Hill reported.
The president previously pardoned his former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the probe. On Tuesday, he pardoned two other allies that were caught up in the investigation.
Trump also pardoned 66-year-old Charles Kushner, who pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion back in 2004. Kushner was also accused of lying to the Federal Election Commission and putting up a fight against a federal witness. He had served two years in prison before he was released.