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US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has issued pardons and sentence commutations for 29 people, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law.
The actions mean Trump has granted clemency to nearly 50 people in the last two days by pardoning them or by commuting their sentences.
The pardons of Manafort and Roger Stone, who months earlier had his sentence commuted by Trump, underscore the president’s determination to use the power of his office he final weeks to unravel the results of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and to come to the aid of associates he feels were wrongly pursued.
Trump has now pardoned four people convicted in that investigation, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Manafort had been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for financial crimes related to his work in Ukraine and was among the first people charged as part of Mueller’s investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
He was released to home confinement last May because of coronavirus concerns in the federal prison system.
Manafort, in a tweet, thanked Trump and lavished praise on the outgoing president, declaring that history would show he had accomplished more than any of his predecessors.
Kushner is the father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and a wealthy real estate executive who pleaded guilty years ago to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations.
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Where’s the checks and balances on this process??
@Stuart: IF it is found pardons where promised for them to lie TRUMP could be in trouble .
@Stuart: there are none with this power. USA constitution gives president absolute power and discretion on this so long as the crimes are non-violent.. It’s crazy but normally used sparingly by the president. They didn’t predict a trump-like president using it to get his friends off
@Kris Kendellen: not true a pardon can not be given for personal gain .
@Kris Kendellen: What about the 4 military contractors, their crimes were violent. I’m sure he is also getting paid for most of those pardons.
@Pat Casey: The founder of Blackwater is the brother of Trump’s billionaire education secretary.
@Kris Kendellen: They didn’t predict a Trump-like president at all!
@RossMcEntegart: in
@Pat Casey:
Literally getting away with murder…
@Kris Kendellen: wrong…Irish president has power to pardon too.
@Cosmos20202020: not executive power to pardon. There are a lot of constraints under our system. You should look them up.
I think Trump has exposed America for what it truly is, where the issues it hides so well, and the fault lines of its constitution. I really hope he is convicted of something after he leaves. There has to be something they can get him on. There is a cocktail of just abuse of power incidents. Something has to stick. Lock Him Up!
@Optimus Prime: I can’t see it happening. I would imagine the powers would be happy to see the back of him and begin the long process of trying to repair their country. By trying to prosecute him they would be keeping him front and centre of the headlines for the next 4 years and God only knows how many conspiracy theories would be created through that. His supporters are fanatical and if they somehow managed to actually “lock him up” it would most likely lead to violence and more riots. I think all their efforts will be put into trying to repair the damage and forget the embarrassment but I suppose time will tell.
@Optimus Prime: “exposed for what it is”?
@J Flood: a racist kip.
@Mick Murphy: this is the problem though, he won’t go away quietly, he’ll still be stiring it up with his base, undermining everything the Biden administration does, if he had any sense he would go quietly, he’ll see that as a defeat though. But I agree, if he ends up being prosecuted, it will make things a lot worse, he’s started too many personal grudges towards various Democrats, such as Pelosi, Obama etc, and I think they’d like to see him behind bars.
@Uncle Montys oaf: That’s true too of course. You’d hope they would look at the bigger picture and not be petty for the sake of grudges against what he said about them but that hope could be in vain. He’ll make a fortune going around giving his very entertaining rallies and I think that is his main motivation, the almighty dollar. So may be best just to leave him go ahead mouthing off and in time it would just fade away. The more attention he’s given the worse it gets. I think he has already split the Republican party so they would be wise to distance from him if they want to have a chance at the next election
@Mick Murphy: I agree, they could be more concerned about who comes after him. Pence is likely to outlive him and sneak in to do worse damage to Americans.
Fill the swamp Donnie. You deluded spanner head.
America, land of the great!!!!! what a kip
Isn’t he trying to get pardons for his family against any possible future ligation?
Ppulling to the last drop of his orange fizz tap.
@Clurichaun:
Can’t get that, but can them of all crimes in the past
All rancid people. Bring on 20th January.
Dictatorships that’s what it is !!!!!
Bannon will be next
@Irish Sean: WHAT, Dermot is in jail,,,,,, yipeeeeeeeee
@Macca Attack: Unfortunately Rte still have the tapes of home to improve.
@Ed: good one
Americans can not give out about banana republic’s in the rest of the world. Where the laws give someone that much power.
The individual states can still prosecute.
@DJ François: only if non federal crimes committed
Mexico will drain the swamp?
@David A. Murray: yeah the wall and all his delusional supporters feel for it,makes you think what the future holds for America letting a person like that to become in charge in the first place vile vile person!
Have any African or Asian Americans been pardoned?
He’s really pushing his luck here to benefit from any doubts. I thought the US President was only allowed to pardon one turkey a year.
Does anyone know if these can be overturned when he is gone?
This also means they can be compelled to testify against Trump if it came to that. Apparently it’s because the specific protection is against self-incrimination rather than actually not talking to police so – since they can’t incriminate themselves by testifying they’re no longer protected by that provision.
@Dartz: Unfortunately, the way they can get around that is just to say under cross examination in any court “I don’t recall” or “I can’t remember”.
American DEMOCRACY at work
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