All articles tagged with #pardon
Michael Cohen, once a fierce Trump critic, appears to be back in the president’s orbit after a cordial interview in which Cohen flatters Trump and avoids tough questions; Trump signals acceptance of his return, while Cohen keeps pursuing a pardon and focuses on current issues like Iran and the midterms.
Michael Cohen says he and Trump have privately reconciled and will discuss their past on Cohen’s radio show when Trump calls in; Cohen won’t commit to asking for presidential clemency during the interview, though he has previously sought a pardon and received a three-year prison sentence related to hush-money actions.
Chadian President Mahamat Déby granted a state pardon to Succès Masra, a political rival and former prime minister serving a 20-year sentence, paving the way for his release. Masra, who had claimed to defeat Déby in 2024, was arrested over alleged links to a deadly southwest clash. The pardon is not Amnesty, and the nine recipients could still be prosecuted; eight other GCAP members were pardoned for organizing a banned protest, while a separate decree allows partial remission for some detainees.
Disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, pardoned by Donald Trump last year, is now lobbying for clemency on behalf of a suburban Chicago councilman convicted in a 2005 vote-buying scheme who fled the country and is reportedly on the lam in Greece.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz defended the June clemency for Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 10-year-old, even after federal officials revoked his status and deported him to Laos. Walz said the pardon wasn’t about immigration policy and cited factors like victim support and other considerations, while critics including federal officials and Republican lawmakers—such as Marco Rubio—argued the decision had immigration and safety implications.
R. Kelly has formally petitioned President Trump to commute his 30-year federal sentence (not seeking a full pardon); the request is listed as pending by the Office of the Pardon Attorney and was first reported by the Chicago Tribune. The case stems from Mann Act and racketeering convictions, with a separate 20-year sentence for child sex crimes that runs concurrently, and his team has previously pursued home detention while alleging misconduct by officials.
R. Kelly has formally asked President Trump to commute his 30-year federal sentence, a pending request that does not seek a full pardon. The filing references a prior bid for home detention and includes a sworn declaration from a terminally ill inmate alleging officials offered freedom in exchange for Kelly’s murder, while Kelly’s team pressed for a new trial on other grounds. The singer’s convictions in 2021 were for Mann Act and racketeering tied to sexual exploitation of minors, with a 30-year sentence plus a separate 20-year sentence for related crimes that runs concurrent with the first except for one year.
Tim Walz’s Minnesota Board of Pardons granted a full pardon to Tue Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly raping a girl beginning at age 10, citing immigration concerns among the reasons for clemency. After the commission’s vote, the pardon was issued, but federal action followed: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he terminated Vang’s legal status in the U.S., and Vang was deported to Laos, ending his stay in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security deported Tou Lue Vang to Laos after he was unanimously pardoned by Minnesota’s Board of Pardons for a 2006 first-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction involving a 10-year-old. Vang, a lawful permanent resident who came to the U.S. as a child, was arrested by ICE in December 2025 and released during his immigration case, but was removed anyway. Minnesota officials say a state pardon does not shield him from deportation, while DHS argues pardons do not eliminate immigration consequences, highlighting ongoing tension between clemency and federal immigration law.
Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon by the King. The ruling does not deem her innocent of murder, but replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment to recognise the profound injustice in her case and the abuse she endured in a coercive relationship.
Six years after the 2020 viral St. Louis confrontation, Mark and Patricia McCloskey pled guilty to misdemeanors in 2021, received a pardon from Gov. Mike Parson, and later had their convictions expunged, with their AR-15 finally returned in 2025 after a long legal fight. The episode has persisted as a touchstone in debates over self-defense, private property rights, and prosecutorial power, while the couple’s public profile and conservative advocacy have kept them in the national conversation.
At a birthday celebration on the Ellipse marking Trump’s 80th, the event featured music from Sean “Diddy” Combs and a track by Mase, a controversial moment given Combs’s federal case and past pardon discussions with the White House. Combs is currently serving a 50‑month sentence after being acquitted on some charges, with his lawyers noting talks about a possible pardon; Trump has long described Combs as a friend. The appearance underscores the ongoing political and legal chatter surrounding clemency while the birthday festivities roll on with UFC fights and a high-profile musical moment.
Charlie Javice, founder of Frank, was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase and sentenced to 85 months; she is appealing and seeking a presidential pardon from Trump as reports say the administration is weighing a wave of pardons.
Sam Bankman-Fried has formally requested a presidential pardon through the DOJ’s Pardon Attorney, asking for a pardon after completing his 25-year sentence for the FTX collapse, with his appeal pending in New York. Trump has shown no clear interest in granting clemency, while SBF has publicly pursued clemency tactics and given interviews from prison as part of his push.
Jailed former FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has applied for a presidential pardon from Donald Trump after serving part of a 25-year fraud sentence tied to FTX and Alameda Research; he is appealing the conviction and maintains innocence, while Trump previously indicated he would not pardon him and the White House declined to comment.