Loyal companions: Trump pardons ex-campaign leader Manafort

Thursday December 24th 2020

Loyal companions
Trump pardons ex-campaign leader Manafort

US President Trump is doing the same as his predecessors and is issuing pardons until the end of his term in office. However, in Trump's case it is always close confidants. In addition to Manafort, now someone with family connections.

Shortly before the end of his term in office, the elected US President Donald Trump pardoned other loyal companions. Trump pardoned the former chairman of his election campaign team, Paul Manafort, and his long-time confidante Roger Stone on Wednesday evening (local time). He also pardoned real estate entrepreneur Charles Kushner, the father of his advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Trump had only announced a series of controversial pardons on Tuesday. For example, he granted George Papadopoulos, his 2016 campaign advisor, full remission. Papadopoulus pleaded guilty to lying to FBI officials about his contacts with leading Russian officials.

The now pardoned Manafort had been sentenced to several years in prison for tax evasion and bank fraud. In July, Trump had already issued a prison sentence for Stone, who was convicted of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Kushner's criminal record is cleared

Stone was sentenced to more than three years in prison in February for, among other things, false testimony and obstruction of justice. Kushner, in turn, had ended up in prison for tax evasion, among other things. He has already served his sentence, but with the pardon, his criminal record is subsequently deleted.

Republican Trump was defeated by Democrat Joe Biden in the November 3rd election, but will remain president with full powers until January 20th. Former presidents like Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama used the right to issue pardons right up to their last days in office. At that time, too, there were always controversial cases – however, it was rather not about people who had been convicted of offenses that were directly related to the president or his election campaign.