President Trump issued 73 pardons and commuted the sentences of 70 individuals early Wednesday, 11 hours from leaving office.
Why it matters: It’s a last-minute gift to some of the president’s loyalists and an evident use of executive power with only hours left of his presidency. Axios reported in December that Trump planned to grant pardons to “every person who ever talked to me.”
For the record: Some pardons and commutations were granted to Trump’s allies, while others were related to criminal justice issues. Continue reading.