Donald Trump Scandalous Pardons List

Pardonee
Crime Committed
Commutation
Scandalousness
 
  • Jonathan BraunDrug Smuggler
    Dealt thousands of kilograms of marijuana
    7.5 of 10 years prison
    Used a connection to Jared Kushner to get the pardon and after released engaged in loan sharking and assaulted his wife and her father
  • Phillip EsformesHealthcare Executive
    Orchestrated largest health care fraud scheme the DOJ has ever charged
    18 of 20 years
    Used family connections to lobby Trump for his commutation and after released criminally threatened his wife and another family member
  • Dinesh D'SouzaRight-Wing Filmmaker
    Made $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions
    1.3 of 5 years probation
    Rewarded for spreading propaganda supporting Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was stolen
  • Joe ArpaioFmr. Arizona Sheriff
    Criminal Contempt of Court
    Pardoned two months before sentencing
    Rewarded for his extreme xenophobia against Latino immigrants
  • Two Aides to Senator Rand Paul
    Bribed a state senator $73,000 to change his vote in the Iowa caucuses
    Served 6 months of house arrest and 160 hours of community service
    Pardoned at the request of Trump ally Sen. Rand Paul
  • Four Blackwater Security Contractors
    Murdered 14 Iraqi civilians and injured 20 more
    One year of one life and three 15-year sentences
    General Petraeus called it "hugely damaging, an action that tells the world that Americans abroad can commit the most heinous crimes with impunity"
  • Steve BannonFmr. Chief Strategist
    Stole $1M from donors
    Pardoned before trial
    Rewarded for helping Trump try to overturn the 2020 election
  • Casey UrlacherBrian Urlacher's Brother
    Worked for a multimillion-dollar illegal sports gambling ring
    Pardoned before trial
    He's a Republican and his famous brother Brian Urlacher is a vocal Trump supporter
  • Rick RenziFmr. US Rep. [R]
    Embezzled $400k & extorted hundreds of thousands more
    served 2 years in prison
    Rewarded for waging a public relations campaign against the DOJ
  • Robin HayesFmr. US Rep. [R]
    Lied to the FBI about his role in a $1.5M bribery scheme
    7 of 12 months prison
    Pardoned at the request Trump ally Sen. Thom Tillis
  • Kristian SaucierUS Navy
    Photographed highly classified areas of a nuclear submarine without authorization
    served 1 years in prison
    Trump issued the pardon in order to make a political attack falsely equating Hillary's accidental non-criminal sending of minor classified material to an egregious purposeful violation of classified secrets
  • Duke CunninghamFmr. US Rep. [R]
    Raked in $2.3M in bribes from defense contractors
    served 8 years in prison
    Pardoned at the request of Trump ally Newt Gingrich
  • Dwight & Steven HammondRanchers
    Destroyed evidence of their illegal poaching by intentionally setting their property on fire
    2.5 of 5 years prison
    Real estate developer and advocate for the convicted arsonists Mike Ingram donated $10k to a Trump super PAC one week before Trump issued the pardons
  • Michael BehennaUS Army
    Murdered an unarmed Iraqi detainee
    Only served 5 years of 25-year sentence before being paroled
    Pardoned at the request of Trump allies Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallon & AG Mike Hunter
  • Conrad BlackCEO
    Stole millions from newspaper he led
    served 3.5 years in prison
    Personal friend of Trump who published a fawning book about him titled "A President Like No Other"
  • Mathew GolsteynUS Army
    Premeditated murder of unarmed prisoner of war
    Pardoned before trial
    Golsteyn appeared with Trump at a rally less than a month before his pardon
  • Clint LoranceUS Army
    Ordered soldiers to open fire on unarmed Afghans which resulted in two deaths
    13 of 19 years prison
    Several of Lorance's soldiers testified the men he ordered shot posed no imminent threat and expressed dismay at his pardon
  • Bernard KerikFmr. NYC Police Commissioner
    Illegally accepted over $250k from company with suspected ties to organized crime
    served 3 years in prison
    Kerik often championed Trump as a correspondent on Fox News which he watched regularly
  • Paul PogueBusiness Executive
    Failed to pay over $400k in taxes
    served 3 years probation
    His son and daughter-in-law donated $238,541 to Trump's reelection campaign mere months before the pardon
  • Angela StantonTV Personality
    Participated in organized auto theft ring
    served 2 years in prison
    Rewarded for her vocal support of Trump to her predominately black audience
  • Michael FlynnFmr. National Security Advisor
    Lied to the FBI about secret interactions with the Russian Ambassador
    Pardoned before sentencing
    Rewarded for his loyalty to Trump and refusal to cooperate with officials after twice pleading guilty
  • Duncan HunterFmr. US Rep. [R]
    Stole $250k in campaign funds for personal use
    Pardoned days before his 11-month sentence was to begin
    Rewarded for being an early 2016 Trump supporter
  • Chris CollinsFmr. US Rep. [R]
    Gave insider information to help others avoid $768k in stock losses
    2 of 2.2 years prison
    Rewarded for being first member of Congress to endorse his 2016 campaign
  • Steve StockmanFmr. US Rep. [R]
    Stole $1.25M from charity for personal and campaign expenses
    8 of 10 years
    Pardoned at the request of former US Rep.'s and Trump allies Bob McEwen and Bob Barr
  • George PapadopoulosTrump Campaign Aide
    Lied to the FBI about interactions with top Russian intelligence officials during 2016 campaign
    served 14 days in jail and 1 year of supervised release
    Rewarded for his loyalty to Trump in the Russia investigation
  • Paul ManafortTrump Campaign Chair
    Lied to the FBI about potentially damaging information he had on Trump in violation of plea deal
    5 of 7 years prison
    Pardoned as a reward for refusing to flip on Trump
  • Roger StoneSenior Advisor
    Lied under oath about his connections with Russian intelligence and WikiLeaks
    Pardoned days before he was to report to prison
    Rewarded for refusing to testify against Donald Trump
  • Charles KushnerJared Kushner's Father
    Illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering
    served 2 years in prison
    Trump's daughter Ivanka is married to Charles's son Jared and Chris Christie once called his actions "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes" he ever prosecuted
  • Alex van der ZwaanColleague of Trump Adviser Rick Gates
    Lied to the FBI about his work with Trump adviser Rick Gates
    served 30 days in jail
    Trump issued the pardon in an attempt to undo as much as the Mueller as possible
  • Margaret HunterWife of Rep. Duncan Hunter
    Stole $250k in campaign funds for personal use
    Pardoned days before her 8-month home confinement sentence
    Hunter's husband Duncan was a vocal and early supporter of Trump who also received a pardon
  • Gary BrugmanUS Customs and Border Agent
    Unprovoked assault on two defenseless victims
    served 2 years in prison
    Brugman expressed no remorse for his assault but Trump still pardoned him at the request of Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn
  • Jaime DavidsonFmr. Drug Kingpin
    Planned robbery that resulted in the murder of an undercover police officer
    69 of 100 years prison
    Davidson was sent back to jail after he was convicted for domestic assault against his wife