Beijing News (reporter Xie Lian) On the evening of December 22, local time, US President Trump pardoned 20 people at one time, of which 15 were completely pardoned and 5 were fully or partially reduced. Us media said that less than a month before Trump left office, Trump finally began to exercise his pardon power on a large scale.
Who has Trump pardoned?
According to CNN, Trump's pre-Christmas pardon includes two former campaign aides sentenced in the Russiagate investigation, three former Republican lawmakers and several U.S. employees who shot and killed Iraqi civilians.
Former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who was sentenced in the "Russiagate" investigation, was pardoned this time, and he was sentenced to false testimony to the FBI in 2017 during the "Russiagate" investigation. Another pardoned was Dutch lawyer Zwan, who lied to investigators during the "Russiagate" investigation and was later sentenced to 30 days in prison.
Trump also pardoned three former Republican lawmakers, Rep. Chris Collins of New York, Rep. Duncan Hunt of California, and Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas. Collins was sentenced to 26 months in prison for collusion in securities fraud and false testimony, Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison for improper use of campaign funds, and Stockman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for improper use of charitable funds.
In addition, Trump pardoned four former Blackwater employees who shot civilians in Iraq in 2007, two Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting at immigrants in 2006, and several people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. Among Trump's pardon list are dentists sentenced for medicare fraud and prisoners sentenced to 55 years in prison for selling marijuana and illegally holding guns.
CNN pointed out that the pardon action is mainly based on the suggestions of Trump allies in Congress, as well as the suggestions of some conservative media. The few people who were pardoned for nonviolent drug crimes were suggested by Alice Johnson, a black woman who trump had previously asked for pardons from Kim Kardashian.
What are the characteristics of Trump's pardon?
The Associated Press reported that Trump's pardon of two former campaign participants who were convicted in the "Russiagate" once again showed his attempt to overturn the "Russiagate" investigation findings of special prosecutor Mueller. The two followed Trump pardoned former national security adviser Flynn in November and former campaign aide Roger Stone in July, both of whom were sentenced for the Russiagate investigation.
Since Trump took office, the "Russiagate" investigation has been haunting him. Special Counsel Mueller has launched a nearly two-year investigation around the "Russia Gate", during which a number of Trump cronies have been investigated. Although the final investigation report showed no evidence of collusion between Trump and the Russian government, a number of Trump cronies and former aides were convicted. In a statement on the evening of the 22nd, the White House said that "today's pardon corrects the erroneous conclusion imposed on many people by Mueller's team."
In fact, Trump's pardon has been controversial. Some analysts pointed out that the pardon of Papadopoulos and Ziwan may indicate that other Trump cronies who were convicted in the "Russia Gate" may also be pardoned for some time in the future, including Trump's former assistants Manafort and Gates.
Liu Weidong, a researcher at the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Beijing News that there is precedent for the US president to pardon a group of people before leaving office, and the right of pardon is also one of the privileges enjoyed by the US president. But Trump's pardon differs from other presidents in that the people he pardons are more or less related to him, either with his interests or loyal to him. This is not the same as the nature of the pardon being granted because of the manifestation of mercy, the feeling that the punishment is too high, etc.
Liu Weidong said that this time Trump began a large-scale amnesty operation, and everyone was not surprised. Because it's not far from his ouster, he will certainly use this time to do everything he can do within the president's purview, one of which is to pardon those who may "carry the black pot" for him, or who he wants to reciprocate. In addition, there is another reason that he may expect that there may be some lawsuits after he leaves office, so he tries to avoid some of the risks he can think of before leaving office, so that the people involved can no longer be investigated for certain things. This is obviously also considered from his own point of view.
What more action is Trump likely to take in the future?
US media pointed out that the pre-Christmas pardon may only be the beginning of Trump's pre-departure pardon, and it is expected that he will pardon more people in the future.
With the presidential inauguration on January 20 next year less than a month away, what Trump will do during that time has been a lot of attention.
Liu Weidong said that Trump will certainly do something before leaving office, but what he can do at home is relatively limited, because Congress will give him relatively large constraints, especially now that the Congressional Republican Party is not so wholeheartedly supporting him. But he may deliberately take radical actions on international issues, such as Iran and Russia, and then leave a mess for the next president.
However, the real purpose of some of Trump's current actions is to maintain his influence after leaving office. Liu Weidong pointed out that Trump is still continuing to raise political funds, set up a political action committee, and used Twitter to exaggerate the anger of supporters in order to maintain his influence on American politics. "What he hopes to achieve is that through these actions, the Republican Party will continue to surround him, maintain its influence over the Republican Party, and then use the Republican Party to contain the Democratic Party, so as to maintain its influence on the entire American politics." In this way, whether he can run again in the future, his influence will remain."
Beijing News reporter Xie Lian
Edited by Fan Yijing Proofreader Lucy
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