On Christmas Eve, President Trump (Trump) on Tuesday (Dec. 22) pardoned former campaign aide George Papadopoulos, 33, and 14 other people. Papadopoulos is under investigation for Russia.
Others pardoned include several former Republican congressmen.
The White House said in a statement that the president will grant full pardons to 15 people and grant partial or full sentence reductions to five others.
Alex Van der Zwaan, 36, a Belgian-born Dutch citizen, is one of the 15 people Trump is granting full pardons to. He was sentenced to 30 days in prison in April 2018 for lying to investigators from Russia-gate special counsel Robert Mueller about his contacts with officials from the president’s 2016 campaign.
Others pardoned include former California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter and New York Republican Rep. Chris Collins, as well as four former Blackwater contractors convicted for the deaths of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad’s Nisour Square, including the company’s former contractor Nicholas Slatten.
Papadopoulos, who was a diplomatic adviser to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements in October 2017. In the plea agreement, Papadopoulos admitted to lying to the FBI about contacts with Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud; Mueller’s team closely linked him to Russian officials. Public research has shown that Mifsud had extensive ties to Western intelligence agencies (not Russia).
Papadopoulos was sentenced to 14 days in federal prison, and after serving 12 days, he was released on Supervised Release for 12 months.
Notably, Mueller said in his report that he found no evidence of a conspiracy linking Papadopoulos to Russian attempts to interfere in the election,” the White House said in a statement. Nonetheless, the special counsel team charged Mr. Papadopoulos with crimes related to this proceeding.
Next, Mr. Papadopoulos allegedly made false statements when he was not represented by a lawyer. After his arrest, Mr. Papadopoulos provided the special prosecutor with additional information about his earlier statements.
“Today’s pardon helps right the wrongs Mueller’s team has done to so many people.
Papadopoulos tweeted his gratitude to Trump, saying the decision “means the world to me and my family.
Collins, 70, was the first member of Congress to endorse a Trump presidential contender in 2016, and he won re-election in 2018, but resigned the following year.
“In 2019, Collins pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and making false statements to the FBI. Mr. Collins is currently serving a 26-month sentence, the White House said.
Trump also granted a full pardon to former Republican Rep. Hunter, 44, who pleaded guilty a year ago to one count of conspiracy to divert campaign funds for personal use.
The president also commuted the remainder of the sentence of former Republican Rep. Steve Stockman, 64, of Texas, who was convicted in 2018 for misuse of charitable funds.
On Thanksgiving Eve, President Trump pardoned former national security adviser Gen. Michael Flynn.
Recent Comments