Mass Pardon Measures on Retirement Day... 70 Also Granted Sentence Reductions
Most Are Individuals with Connections or Involved in Pardon Lobbying
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Former U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly issued pardon and commutation measures for a total of 143 people, including his close aides, just before leaving office. Most of these individuals are said to have lobbied Trump for pardons, sparking controversy over the unfair nature of the pardon measures.
According to foreign media such as NBC on the 20th (local time), former President Trump, ahead of his departure, revealed the list of 143 people, including 73 pardoned individuals and 70 who received commutations. Among those pardoned were various figures including Trump’s closest aides like Steve Bannon, lobbyists, rappers, white-collar criminals, and former mayors.
Elliott Broidy, a major supporter of former President Trump and the Republican National Committee’s finance chairman, was also named on the pardon list. Broidy was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of illegal lobbying activities, including receiving $75 million (approximately 82.4 billion KRW) from the Malaysian government in exchange for suppressing the U.S. investigation into the 1MDB bribery scandal involving the Malaysian government. The Washington Post (WP) criticized the pardons, stating, "They clearly show how former President Trump used his pardon power to benefit his supporters."
Kwame Kilpatrick, former mayor of Detroit, received a commutation. Previously, he was sentenced to 28 years in prison?the longest sentence in U.S. public official history?after being found guilty of 24 charges including bribery and extortion. Having served over seven years, he was granted a 20-year reduction and is expected to be released soon.
Famous rappers such as Lil Wayne were also pardoned. Lil Wayne was charged with illegal firearm possession and sentenced to 10 years in prison, with his sentence set to begin in March. He had shown pro-Trump behavior, including endorsing former President Trump ahead of the U.S. presidential election last October and recently meeting Trump directly on racial issues. Rapper Kodak Black, who was also charged with the same offense and released an album while incarcerated, was pardoned as well. According to BBC reports, individuals who served as advisors to former President Trump, such as Darrell Scott and Ravi Caplan, lobbied for Black’s pardon.
Sholam Weiss, who received a total sentence of 845 years for charges including obstruction of justice, money laundering, and tax evasion?making him the longest-sentenced white-collar criminal in history?was also granted a commutation. Additionally, Anthony Levandowski, a former Google employee sentenced for stealing Google’s self-driving technology to rival Uber; Paul Erickson, a Republican strategist and former boyfriend of Russian spy Maria Butina charged with financial crimes; and Rick Renzi, a former Republican congressman charged with corruption, were all pardoned.
Foreign media analyzed that former President Trump’s pardons were more politically motivated compared to those of previous presidents. The New York Times (NYT) criticized, "Most of the pardon lobbying efforts directed at former President Trump over the past several months succeeded," calling it "the most political and unethical pardon action carried out by a former president just before leaving office in decades." Margaret Love, who served as a pardon review board member at the U.S. Department of Justice, pointed out, "This action nullifies all previous efforts to ensure that pardons are executed as fairly as possible."
Meanwhile, contrary to expectations, former President Trump did not carry out a 'self-pardon' for himself or his family before stepping down. According to foreign reports, Trump had considered a self-pardon just before leaving office but abandoned the idea due to opposition from aides who feared it would be highly disadvantageous to him in the upcoming Senate impeachment trial.
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