presidential pardon

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Lincoln Pardoned Ancestor of Biden, Records Show

Historian tells story of the Civil War conviction of the president's great-great-grandfather

(Newser) - Some presidential pardons are turkeys, sure. But a newly discovered one has echoed through the centuries to be particularly meaningful to the current president. On Sept. 1, 1864, an order from President Abraham Lincoln freed Moses Robinette from a military prison where he was incarcerated after being court-martialed over a...

Man Pardoned by Trump Fined $20M
Man Pardoned
by Trump Fined $20M

Man Pardoned by Trump Fined $20M

Authorities say Jonathan Braun ran network of predatory lenders

(Newser) - Drug smuggler-turned-loan shark Jonathan Braun was pardoned by Donald Trump for the drug smuggling but he hasn't gotten off scot-free for running what authorities say was a network of predatory lenders. Braun was fined $20 million on Tuesday, almost double what a jury had recommended, by a federal judge...

Biden Slams 'Failed Approach' to Pot, Clears Path for Pardons

President makes thousands more people eligible to receive pardons for marijuana-related crimes

(Newser) - President Biden is making thousands of people who were convicted of use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia eligible for pardons, the White House said Friday, in his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice system....

Inside the Strange History of Pardoning Turkeys

It started with lobbyists giving presidents dinner, but it spun out to an unusual tradition

(Newser) - Each year before Thanksgiving, a turkey or two is pardoned by the sitting US president—and while this tradition has become a signal that it's almost time to stuff ourselves with pie, it's also fairly new. NPR breaks down some of the puzzling aspects of the turkey pardon,...

Biden's Birthday Keeps His Age in the Spotlight

President turns 81 on Monday, with conversation continuing on whether he's too old to run

(Newser) - It's set to be a busy day at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on Monday, with a trio of noteworthy events taking place: the annual pre-Thanksgiving pardoning of turkeys, the delivery of the White House's Christmas tree, and the 81st birthday of President Biden, already the oldest president in America'...

For Trump, the Georgia Case Holds a Big Threat
A Georgia Worry for Trump:
Pardon-Proof Charges
the rundown

A Georgia Worry for Trump: Pardon-Proof Charges

Former president is expected to be indicted on state charges soon

(Newser) - It looks like the fourth indictment of Donald Trump could come as soon as Tuesday , this time out of Georgia. There, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating the former president's efforts to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in the state. A grand jury is on...

Feds Say Fraudster Freed by Trump Went Back to Old Ways

Eliyahu Weinstein scammed investors with bogus deal, federal prosecutors say

(Newser) - A criminal freed by a pardon from former President Trump "picked up right where he left off" when he got out of prison in January 2021, federal prosecutors say. Eliyahu Weinstein, who was serving a 24-year-sentence in connection with two Ponzi schemes when Trump freed him, has been charged...

Ex-Aide: Giuliani Bullied Me Into Sex, Sold $2M Pardons

Former employee sues in New York, seeking $10M

(Newser) - A former employee of Rudy Giuliani claims he "continually pressured her into sex" as part of a wide-ranging lawsuit, which also details alleged efforts to sell presidential pardons for $2 million. Noelle Dunphy, who served as director of business development for several companies owned by Giuliani beginning in January...

Here Are Biden's 6 Pardons to End 2022

Mostly for minor drug-, alcohol-related offenses, for people whose sentences have been completed

(Newser) - President Biden has pardoned six people who've served out sentences after convictions on a murder charge and drug- and alcohol-related crimes, including an 80-year-old woman convicted of killing her abusive husband about a half-century ago and a man who pleaded guilty to using a telephone for a cocaine transaction...

GOP Senators Slam Trump's 'Inappropriate' Pardons Remark

Graham, Romney, others blast Jan. 6 comment; Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley thread the needle

(Newser) - Earlier this month, former President Trump told a conservative radio host that, if he were elected to the Oval Office again, he'd offer "full pardons," along with a public apology to many of those who'd stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Turns out a few GOP...

Trump Says He Supports Riot Defendants Financially

Former president says they might receive pardons if he has another term

(Newser) - Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's supporting some of the Jan. 6 defendants financially, and that he might do more for them if he wins another term as president. "We'll be looking very, very seriously at full pardons" for those convicted in the attack on...

Columnist: Biden Should Pardon Trump
Columnist
Floats Unusual
Trump Idea
for Biden
OPINION

Columnist Floats Unusual Trump Idea for Biden

Washington Post pundit suggests president should pardon him should he be indicted

(Newser) - It's very much unclear how the Justice Department investigations into Donald Trump will unfold, but Jason Willick floats one scenario that may cause supporters of both parties to do a double-take. In his Washington Post op-ed, Willick writes that President Biden should pardon Trump should the former president be...

Samsung Chief Is Needed at Work, Will Be Pardoned

Lee Jae-yong's pardon is partially symbolic since he was released on parole a year ago

(Newser) - The heir and de-facto leader of Samsung, twice imprisoned for bribing a former president of South Korea, has just received a presidential pardon. Lee Jae-yong's pardon is partially symbolic since he was released on parole a year ago after serving 18 months of a prison term that would have...

Biden Issues His First Pardons
Biden Issues
His First Pardons


Biden Issues His First Pardons

Grants clemency to 3, commutes sentences of 75 more

(Newser) - President Biden has granted his first three pardons, reports the AP , providing clemency to a Kennedy-era Secret Service agent convicted of bribery and to two people convicted on drug-related charges who went on to become pillars in their communities. Biden also commuted the sentences of 75 others for nonviolent, drug-related...

After Graham Balks at Pardons for Rioters, a Trump Slam

'He's a RINO,' former president tells Newsmax

(Newser) - Donald Trump has added another Republican to his list of supposed RINOs : his ally Lindsey Graham. The former president lobbed the insult—that's "Republican in name only"—at the Republican senator from South Carolina on Tuesday after Graham refused to back the idea of presidential pardons for...

At Presidential Turkey Pardon, the Jokes Flew

'Instead of getting basted, these two turkeys are getting boosted,' Biden said at WH ceremony

(Newser) - President Biden on Friday pardoned two Thanksgiving turkeys, saying that the white male birds were selected based on their "temperament, appearance, and, I suspect, vaccination status." "Instead of getting basted, these two turkeys are getting boosted today," Biden joked, per the AP . Biden was in a...

Lawyers: Trump Phone Call Amounts to a Real Pardon

Jailed hip-hop manager was promised release by last Christmas

(Newser) - The fact that the previous president didn't approach the office in a traditional way is not news. The family of a jailed hip-hop manager is now banking that despite an unorthodox manner, clemency they say was granted by Donald Trump will be honored by a federal prison in West...

Judge Dismisses Bannon Case, Says Pardon Implies Guilt

He was accused of ripping off donors to 'We Build the Wall' campaign

(Newser) - Four months after Donald Trump issued a pardon in the final hours of his presidency, the fraud case against his former chief strategist has been dismissed. US District Judge Analisa Torres ruled Tuesday that the Trump pardon of Steve Bannon was valid and dismissing an indictment accusing him of defrauding...

Daily Beast: Associate's Letter Just Threw Gaetz Under the Bus

Congressman paid for sex with multiple girls, including a minor, Joel Greenberg confesses in note

(Newser) - Word on the DOJ investigation into GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz and associate Joel Greenberg over possible violations of federal sex-trafficking laws has been quiet over the past couple of weeks. That changed Thursday with an update from the Daily Beast . It got its hands on three drafts of a confessional...

Sources: Matt Gaetz Wanted Blanket Pardon From Trump

It's not clear whether the congressman knew he was under investigation at the time

(Newser) - As then-President Trump's term wound down, Matt Gaetz, one of Trump's staunchest allies, privately asked for a blanket pre-emptive pardon, two sources tell the New York Times . The Florida congressman also allegedly asked the White House for the same thing for some of his allies in Congress, though...

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