Trump pardons Steve Bannon, others, in final clemency

Hours before Joe Biden’s inauguration, outgoing President Donald Trump commuted the sentences of 70 people and granted pardons to 73 others early Wednesday. They include former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who was scheduled to face trial in May for siphoning money from a fundraising campaign to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The White House statement said he served as “an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen.”

Who else was pardoned? Trump also extended clemency to Elliott Broidy, a former fundraiser for Trump who illegally lobbied on behalf of foreign countries to deport Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui and end an inquiry into Malaysia’s 1MDB corruption scandal. Three others: Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who is serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges, and rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who were prosecuted on federal weapons charges.

Dig deeper: Read Kyle Ziemnick’s report in The Sift on the charges against Bannon.