Trump, Steve Bannon, and 73 Others Pardoned Just Before Retirement

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] The White House announced on the 20th (local time) that U.S. President Donald Trump, who is about to leave office, has pardoned 73 people, including former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. However, the Trump family was excluded from the list of those pardoned.

According to major foreign media reports on the day, the pardon list included former Chief Strategist Bannon, who was once a close aide to President Trump. He was indicted on charges of embezzling a large sum of money during an online crowdfunding campaign related to the construction of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, one of Trump's campaign promises.

Initially, Bannon was expected to be excluded from the pardon, but he was reportedly added at the last minute. The New York Times (NYT) previously reported that Bannon was originally excluded from the pardon list but was included after a last-minute phone call with President Trump.

However, President Trump and his family, who had been mentioned as potential recipients of a "preemptive pardon," were not included on the list. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer and former New York City mayor, was also excluded from the pardon list.