Trump pardons former aide, others amid last act of Presidency

US President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to his former senior adviser, Steve Bannon as part of a wave of pardons and commutations during his final hours in office.

The statement issued by the White House on Wednesday included a list of the names of 73 pardoned individuals and 70 others whose sentences were commuted.

Among the 73 people pardoned was Elliott Broidy, a leading former fundraiser for Trump who has admitted illegally lobbying the US government to drop its inquiry into the Malaysia 1MDB corruption scandal and to deport an exiled Chinese billionaire.

Also on the list was Ken Kurson, a friend of Jared Kushner who was charged in October last year with cyberstalking during a heated divorce.

Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who were prosecuted on federal weapons offences and former Detroit Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, who is serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges, were also pardoned.

A further 70 people had their sentences commuted.

Bannon, who was a key adviser in Trump’s 2016 presidential run, was charged last year with swindling Trump supporters over an effort to raise private funds to build the president’s wall on the US-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty.

US media earlier reported that the president made his last-minute decision after speaking to Bannon by phone.

Trump did not pardon himself, members of his family or lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was at the forefront of unsuccessful efforts to get the results of the 2020 presidential election overturned.

Julian Assange was another figure subject to speculation who was not on the list. Prosecutors and scholars have, however, said a grey area in the constitution means a president may be able to issue “secret” pardons, without notifying Congress or the public.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House last week on charges of inciting the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by the president’s supporters.

He may face a Senate trial and could be barred from running for president again if convicted.

The pardon power, which comes from the US Constitution, is one of the broadest available to a president.

While pardons are typically given to people who have been prosecuted, pardons can cover conduct that has not yet resulted in legal proceedings.

A pardon is not reviewable by other branches of government and the president does not have to give a reason for issuing one. But the pardon power is not absolute; it only applies to federal crimes.

Bannon can still be charged in state court in New York, where a pardon would not help him, said Daniel R Alonso, a former prosecutor now at the Buckley law firm.

Bannon, 67, is the latest prominent political ally to receive clemency from Trump, who has often used the powers of the executive branch to reward loyalists and punish his enemies.