President Trump on Tuesday commuted the sentence of a former Illinois governor and pardoned three high-profile white-collar criminals in a sweeping display of executive clemency affecting nearly a dozen cases.
The White House portrayed it as an act of mercy for deserving candidates whose debts had been repaid. But the move also raised questions about Trump’s intervention in criminal cases, especially when handling individuals with powerful connections, and over how he might deal with two associates, Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, who are facing imprisonment.
The most prominent recipient of Trump’s clemency on Tuesday was former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), who had served just over half of his 14-year prison sentence. Blagojevich was convicted a decade ago on a number of federal charges that included trying to sell the Senate seat Barack Obama vacated when he was elected president. Continue reading.