Trump Issues 26 More Pardons

They include Stone, Manafort, Kushner father
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 23, 2020 7:18 PM CST
Trump Issues 26 More Pardons
In this Thursday, June 27, 2019 photo, Paul Manafort arrives in court in New York.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

President Trump's pardon-palooza continued for a second night Wednesday, when he issued another 26 pardons—including ones for Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, who were convicted of multiple crimes after being indicted during Robert Mueller's investigation. Trump commuted longtime friend Stone's sentence in July, days before he was due to report to prison to serve a 40-month sentence for crimes including lying to Congress and witness tampering. Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, was serving a 7.5-year sentence for crimes including tax fraud and was moved to home confinement in May. Trump also pardoned Charles Kushner, father of son-in-law Jared Kushner, CNN reports.

The elder Kushner was released from prison in 2006 after serving 14 months for crimes including tax evasion and retaliating against a federal witness. The case was prosecuted by then-US Attorney for New Jersey Chris Christie. The New York Times calls the Kushner pardon "one of the most anticipated of the Trump presidency." Others pardoned Wednesday include Margaret Hunter, whose husband former GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, was pardoned Tuesday for campaign finance fraud. Trump also commuted three sentences Wednesday, bringing the total number of people given clemency over the last two days to 49, per the AP. Tuesday's pardons included two other people convicted as a result of the Mueller probe. (More presidential pardon stories.)

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