Donald Trump has decided to conclude his presidency by kicking off a pardoning spree, giving sentence commutations to many, among which Steve Bannon, who was arrested last year over allegations of using funds of the Build The Wall fundraiser for himself.
In the final stage of his presidency, Donald Trump has pardoned about 73 people, among which financiers, rappers and members of Congress.
Elliott Broidy was pardoned, he had admitted of illegally lobbying US government to drop the inquiry into the Malaysia 1MDB corruption scandal.
Steve Bannon was pardoned after he alledgedly stole money from the We Build the Wall fundraiser for Trump’s plan to build a border wall with Mexico. Bannon was controlling the non-profit and alledgedly ‘diverted’ over 1 million dollars into his personal expenses. Steve Bannon and Donald Trump had been estranged since Bannon left the White House and made remarks about Trump in the bestseller book about the president called Fire and Fury.
Bannon was about to face a trial in May.
Donald Trump’s pardoning spree includes many other allies, such as Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, George Papadopoulos and Paul Manafort, all convicted for the alledged Russian election interference. Trump did not give pardon to himself, family members or other people such as Rudy Giuliani or Julian Assange, who did not make it to the pardoning list. ‘Tiger King’ star Joe Exotic was also hoping to be pardoned. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison for plotting murder and killing and selling tigers. In the pardoning list appear other well-known names such as rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, prosecuted for weapons offences. Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick sentenced to 28 years in prison for corruption was also pardoned.
From legal watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, Noah Bookbinder commented Trump’s pardoning spree: “Even Nixon didn’t pardon his cronies on the way out. Amazingly, in his final 24 hours in office, Donald Trump found one more way to fail to live up to the ethical standard of Richard Nixon.” Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff commented on Twitter: “Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for. And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is. Thank God we have only 12 more hours of this den of thieves.”
Inauguration Day has come for successor Biden, and only hours are left before he is the 46th President of United States Joe Biden and Jill Biden is First Lady. Trump decided to leave the White House before the Inauguration Day, so he will not be greeting the President-elect and Melania Trump will not be showing the White House’s family wing to soon-to-be First Lady Jill Biden.
Donald Trump has also been speaking to his aides about wanting to form a new political party, the ‘Patriot Party’. Although, being the only US President in history to have received two impeachments during his presidency, one of which for having incited the Capital riot in which 50 police officers were injured and 4 people died, Trump could actually be barred from running for presidency again.
READ MORE:
Ukraine's neutrality is at the heart of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which are struggling to find a compromise.
In her first appearance at a public event in months, Elizabeth II arrived on the arm of her son Andrew, who has been the subject of sexual assault allegations.
From £452 a week to a minimum of 96 pounds: Ikea makes controversial choice to cut sick pay for those in isolation.
Anarchists attack the villa of a Russian oligarch in London. The attacks on the symbols of Moscow's power in Europe continue.
Johnson: 'Impossible to normalise relations with Putin and to allow him to win would be to give a green light to all the autocrats in the world'"