President Trump issued a flurry of clemency actions on Wednesday, according to a White House official familiar with the matter, wiping the convictions or cutting sentences for more than two dozen people including political allies, a rapper and the co-founder of a Chicago gang who was serving multiple life sentences for violent crimes.
A blitz of pardons and commutations this week benefited a hodgepodge of recipients, including Larry Hoover, the former leader of the highly organized gang, the Gangster Disciples, which had nearly 30,000 members in Chicago alone and raked in $100 million a year trafficking drugs across the country. It also included those who have expressed political support or echoed the president in claiming they had been unfairly targeted because of their political affiliation.
Mr. Trump also issued pardons for Michael G. Grimm, a former New York representative who pleaded guilty in 2014 to felony tax evasion. Mr. Trump’s aides have compared Mr. Grimm’s prosecution to Mr. Trump’s own legal troubles, which he has described as witch hunt.
The White House did not immediately make public the list of the recent pardons and commutations on Wednesday.
On Monday, Ed Martin, a Trump adviser helping lead efforts that include the pardon process, wrote on social media, “No MAGA left behind.”
The new slate of clemency actions was the latest sign of Mr. Trump’s efforts to redefine the sweeping presidential act of forgiveness. Rather than following the formal and often lengthy Justice Department process to vet clemency applicants, Mr. Trump has preferred to hand out pardons to reward his supporters, incentivize loyalty to his administration or bolster supporters.
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