All articles tagged with #pardons and commutations
Hunter Biden told BBC Newsnight that his father Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread and metastasized to the bones, describing the pain and sadness of watching him suffer, and he said the presidential pardon he received from his father was not fair or good for the country, also reflecting on his father’s health and policy decisions.
President Trump on Friday pardoned 11 people, most convicted of Clean Air Act violations, including a major Republican donor, in a clemency move that underscores a pattern of rewarding allies while criticizing the Biden administration and drawing scrutiny over bypassing traditional review processes.
President Trump issued a full pardon for Steve Buyer, a former Indiana GOP congressman convicted in 2023 of insider trading, following appeals from fellow Republicans who claimed his case reflected weaponized justice; Buyer allegedly profited more than $300,000 from illegal trades.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis granted clemency to Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk convicted in 2024 on seven charges (including four felonies) and sentenced to nine years for helping copy voting machine hard drives to bolster Donald Trump’s false 2020 election claims. The clemency, pursued amid pressure from Trump and allies, would allow Peters to be released on parole starting June 1, drawing criticism from election officials over implications for election integrity.
The Washington Post reports that in his second term, the Trump administration is intensifying an effort to reshape public perception of the Jan. 6 attack by vacating convictions for Proud Boys and Oath Keepers (citing “interests of justice”) while continuing pardons and pursuing related litigation that challenges 2020 election results, sparking criticism that these moves undermine the rule of law and efforts to hold accountable those involved.
Federal prosecutors filed court papers seeking to vacate the seditious-conspiracy convictions of 12 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers tied to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot; the move echoes President Trump’s commutations and, if approved, would erase those convictions from the defendants’ records and could affect future prosecutions and the historical narrative of the attack.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of Charles ‘Sonny’ Burton, 75, to life without parole after Burton spent three decades on death row for a killing he did not commit; Burton participated in a 1991 robbery tied to the death but had left the building when the victim was killed.
After Trump pardoned roughly 1,600 people tied to the Jan. 6 attack, some of them are now pushing to get money back from the government, including fines and penalties they paid. The Washington Post piece highlights individuals who were pardoned and are arguing for refunds or relief, illustrating how clemency can empower defendants to seek financial restitution even as legal and administrative hurdles remain.