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US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has pardoned 15 people including two men convicted of lying to investigators in a probe into the president’s election campaign.
George Papadopoulos, Trump’s 2016 campaign adviser whose conversation unwittingly helped trigger the Russia investigation that shadowed Trump’s presidency for nearly two years, was among those pardoned.
He also pardoned Alex van der Zwaan, a Dutch lawyer who was sentenced to 30 days in prison for lying to investigators during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Trump’s actions in his final weeks in office show a president who is wielding his executive power to reward loyalists and others who he believes have been wronged by a legal system he sees as biased against him and his allies.
He issued the pardons – not an unusual act for an outgoing president – even as he refused to publicly acknowledge his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, who will be sworn in on 20 January.
Also in the group announced last night were four former government contractors convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad that left more than a dozen Iraqi civilians dead and caused an international uproar over the use of private security guards in a war zone.
Thank you, Mr. President!!! This means the world to me and my family!
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) December 23, 2020
Supporters of Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, the former contractors at Blackwater Worldwide, had lobbied for pardons, arguing that the men had been excessively punished in an investigation and prosecution they said was tainted by problems and withheld exculpatory evidence.
All four were serving lengthy prison sentences.
Last month, Trump pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and months earlier commuted the sentence of another associate, Roger Stone, days before he was to report to prison.
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Swamp filling
@DJ François: topping up …he never drained it.
What a snake. Wonder what was his lawyers are setting things up so he can’t be prosecuted after he leaves office.
@Tom Ripley: easy. He can step down just before his term ends. Pence can take over and as it’s also close to the end of Pence’s term as President (albeit it interim) he can pardon Trump for any previous convictions. Shocking if that did actually happen. But nothing in the constitution could prevent it, amazingly.
@Garren Bellew: What “previous conditions” does he have?
@Garren Bellew: I’m not sure about Pence pardoning Trump. Pence has had the good sense to know when to disappear from public view over the last several months. He re-appears every so often, but he’s keeping a low profile about Trump’s worst excesses. It would depend on the political damage to Pence whether he would pardon Trump, or not.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: *convictions
@Garren Bellew: he cant pardon trump cause trump hasn’t been convicted of anything. wen trump leaves the office the FBI will be investigating him
@Garren Bellew: Wow! Trump step down? His overinflated ego wouldn’t allow that..
Just sayin’…
@John O Brien: he can. A general pardon can be issued for any offenses committed before the pardon. Whether being investigated, under indictment or convicted or not.
Pence wouldn’t do it though. I imagine he sees himself as a candidate in 4 years
@Steve Mac: Your analysis is correct.
@Garren Bellew: President can only pardon for federal crimes…NY prosecutor (state crime) is waiting for Trump.
@Cosmos20202020: correct cosmos
If we’re talking about holding people to account for actual crimes, Hunter Biden’s business partner Tony Bobulinski states that he fully briefed Joe Biden on Hunter’s illicit activity and Joe’s bother, Jack, was holding 10% equity in Hunter’s firm in trust for Joe – these allegations are highly credible and were made before the election. Will these allegations be investigated with the same enthusiasm as those directed against Trump?
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: I would expect so yes. But again, Joe Biden is not a clear and present threat to national and international security, or dividing society through racists and economic division. There’s an argument for every political position, but ask yourself are you on the side of moral right, or selfish gain? Your position is clear unfortunately
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: LOL grow a brain clown
https://www.salon.com/2020/10/23/a-fox-news-reporter-just-debunked-the-latest-conservative-effort-to-smear-joe-biden-_partner
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: this is not holding people to account, it’s pardoning people who were found guilty already. Trump’s lawyers were actually guilty of foreign interference, the blackwater staff were guilty of murder. The hunter distraction is exactly that – no-one has been affected, killed or posoined, at most it’s a kid saying “do you know who my dad is?” at a meeting!
@Sonic: what’s unfortunate is your position of outright prejudice. No, the media will NEVER cover the hunter biden story because they spent the last 4 years covering up every democrats crimes and stories with just one end in sight…remove trump. If hunter was hunter trump it would be an international media sensational story. Your position is bias. Clearly.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: So what, deflecting wont work
@Shnack: The media are not the ones that set the charges they are the pones that report it.
All of the crimes that these people committed are real and trying to blame other people and find “crimes” they are guilty of is a poor distraction. But fun to watch
@Shnack: Amazing that you joined Twitter just to say that… Literally
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: and your response to the Fox News reporter, Wall Street Journal and Salon article on how this not related to Joe Biden is what? Oh wait I know? Fake News!!!! A bit like your account!
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: bUt wHutAboUt
And Michael Flynn’s first action following his Presidential pardon is to push for martial law across US, as a desperate last gasp attempt to overturn the early November 20 Election result and open the door on a second term for Donald.
Funny old system they have in the US! Almost as barking bonkers as some of those of our neighbour’s next door! FPTP election system, for example.
Let’s trust it will all return to bite MrT in his ample ‘posterior’
(Journal told me ‘rear’ was ‘toxic’. Amazing!)
I thought the charges were very hypocritical. If either party is so fundamentally opposed to foreign countries interfering in domestic affairs, they shouldn’t launch so many wars to get rid of governments in other countries who don’t do what the US says. The democrats were behind a coup in Honduras and supported the war in Syria and Libya. Republicans Iraq.
The bizarre and undemocratic electoral show that is the US method of choosing which of two performers rules the country, is eclipsed by the powers that ruler has to wipe out decisions of the courts in exchange for favours, or just on a whim.
Straining the swamp
Pardoned all these shams but couldn’t find the time to do anything for Brandon Bernard on death row. Shameful.
@Vikki Brennan: robbery kidnapping and murder are not the same as “these shams” Vikki
@Vikki Brennan: I didn’t see the private security operatives were pardoned Vikki, I take back my other post
@Vikki Brennan: He did he pushed the executions through.
@my name: fair play on the correction ;)
BB murdered nobody. Accessory to murder at aged 19, first offence, inadequate defence and the convictors and jurors are now saying they got it wrong. Death penalty too harsh for his crimes surely. That’s what pardons are for, as someone highlighted above.
@Gary Kearney: too true Gar, sadly.
Animal waste
No pardon for Snowden yet, the only one who deserves it.
Is there anyone out there who now thinks that he is NOT a puppet of Putin ? I assume it’s a blackmail and Putin has a hold over him. Last week was hilarious to listen to him denying it was a Russian hack when even the dogs in the street know it was.
have your say