Trump pardons prison pals in final weeks of office
Donald Trump has pardoned a number of people close to him and his family as one of his final acts as President of the United States.
Trump has pardoned his former campaign manager Paul Manafort, ex-adviser Roger Stone and the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Manafort and Stone were both convicted of crimes relating to the Mueller investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia.
Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared, was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of tax evasion and witness tampering, and was released in 2006.
Trump, taking advantage of a right granted by the Constitution only to the President, has issued two groups of pardons in as many days, and more are anticipated as Trump faces the end of his presidency on 20 January.
In total, Trump issued on Wednesday pardons to 26 individuals and commuted part or all of the sentences of an additional three people. A commutation removes the punishment but leaves the conviction in place.
Besides Manafort and Stone, Trump has pardoned two other major figures from the Russia probe, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former adviser George Papadopoulos.
A pardon in practice grants full legal forgiveness for a federal crime, as a result removing any remaining prison sentence, probation conditions or unpaid fines.
It also relieves the person of the potential consequences of a felony conviction, such as being barred from voting, running for public office and owning a gun.