this is really interesting - the whole pardon thing is just bizarre corruption in plain sight
INTRO
Other high-profile pardons included Elliott Broidy, one of Trump’s top fundraisers in 2016, and three former Republican congressmen — Rick Renzi, Robin Hayes and Randall “Duke” Cunningham — added to another several congressmen, early Trump supporters, that Trump gave commutations or pardons to. Trump also gave a pardon to Ken Kurson, a close friend of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. Kurson is the former editor of
The New York Observer, who was arrested in October for cyberstalking three people, including his ex-wife. The rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black also received pardons. The White House announced the latest pardons shortly before 1 a.m. this morning.
Trump had previously pardoned other top associates, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, adviser Roger Stone, as well as Jared Kushner’s father, as well as four Blackwater mercenaries who massacred 17 Iraqis in the 2007 Nisoor Square massacre in Baghdad, Iraq.
Trump has so far rejected calls to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange or NSA whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Reality Winner.
Meanwhile, Trump pardoned Israeli spy Aviem Sella, who was indicted in 1987 of recruiting U.S. naval intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard to sell secrets to Israel.
This all comes as more details emerge about how allies of Trump have personally profited from people seeking pardons.
The New York Times reports an associate of Rudy Giuliani told CIA torture whistleblower John Kiriakou a pardon is, quote, “going to cost $2 million.” Kiriakou declined the offer, but he did pay $50,000 to a former top Trump campaign adviser for help in his quest to secure a pardon.