Trump pardons 73 people, including Bannon, and commutes sentences for 70 others

President Donald Trump granted pardons to 73 more people and commuted the sentences of 70 others before he leaves office on Wednesday morning (Jan. 20).

The full list of presidential pardons and commutations posted on the White House website includes 67-year-old former White House counselor and former Breitbart editor-in-chief Steve Bannon, rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former Trump political fundraiser Elliott Broidy.

In a few hours, President-elect Biden will be inducted into Congress.

One of the more notable names on President Trump’s list of pardons is Bannon.

President Trump granted a full pardon to Steve Bannon, a White House statement said. Bannon is awaiting trial on charges of fraud in connection with the “We Build the Wall” fundraising project in the United States and Mexico.

Bannon was the manager of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and was asked to serve as the White House’s chief strategic adviser after Trump’s victory, resigning in August 2017.

In a statement announcing his pardon, the White House said, “Mr. Bannon has been a key leader of the conservative movement and is known for his keen political insight.”

Bannon has long called for the U.S. government to be tough against the Chinese Communist Party, and in response to the Communist Party’s concealment of the outbreak last year that led to a global outbreak of the Communist virus, Bannon re-emphasized the threat posed by the Communist Party to the United States and the urgent need to fully disassociate from the Communist dictatorship.

The two rappers, whose real names are Dwayne Michael Carter Jr (Lil Wayne) and Bill Kapri (Kodak Black), have been convicted on weapons-related charges.

Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to possession of a loaded Gold-plated handgun that was found on his person while at the Miami airport in December 2019. He was released on $250,000 bail and faces up to 10 years in prison. And Kodak Black previously pleaded guilty to purchasing several weapons in an illegal manner.

And former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has served seven years of a 28-year prison sentence for fraud and bribery. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his case.

“During his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick taught public speaking classes and led Bible study groups for his fellow inmates.” The White House statement reads.

President Trump also granted full pardons to Kenneth Kurson, Paul Erickson and Aviem Sella.

Of note was Joseph Maldonado-Passage, best known as Joe Exotic in the “Tiger King” documentary. He has not been pardoned. His team had previously said it was “confident” he would be pardoned.

President Trump has previously pardoned dozens of people, including former national security adviser General Flynn, former campaign manager Manafort, former political adviser Roger Stone, former campaign aide George Papadopoulos and many other former campaign team members. They were also involved in judicial proceedings during the “Russia” investigation.

The pardon power, which applies to federal crimes, is one of the broadest powers available to the president. Pardon decisions are not subject to review by other branches of government, and the president does not have to provide a reason for the pardon.

President Trump did not hold any public events in his last week out of office, but has been issuing a number of memos and executive orders, including an order to declassify some classified documents related to the Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s “Russia” investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign.

Instead of attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, Trump and First Lady Melania will leave the White House at 8 a.m. Wednesday and are expected to fly to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, for a farewell ceremony. and then return Home to Palm Beach, Fla.

A full list of pardons and exonerations is here.