Congressman Krishnamoorthi Asks WH Counsel For Information On President Trump’s Pardoning Of His Associates And Exploring Pardons For Himself And Family Members
SCHAUMBURG, IL – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to White House Counsel Pat Cipollone citing his concern about President Trump's recent pardons of 26 individuals, many of whom were personal associates of the President. This letter follows a December 8th letter that Congressman Krishnamoorthi sent to White House Counsel regarding whether President Trump would issue preemptive pardons to his family members and a December 3rd letter that Congressman Krishnamoorthi sent to White House Counsel regarding the pardon of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
"The recipients of President Trump's recent pardons included Roger Stone who was convicted of obstruction of Congress among other items, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort who was convicted of illegal foreign lobbying among other items, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner who was convicted of tax evasion among other items, people who pleaded guilty in the special counsel's Russia investigation – further linking President Trump's political vexation with that investigation to his pardon decisions, Blackwater guards convicted of killing Iraqi civilians, and former members of Congress convicted of corruption," Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. "For the most part, these individuals have not shown remorse or demonstrated their being worthy of a presidential pardon aside from their good fortune to be personally connected to President Trump."
Congressman Krishnamoorthi cited his concern that President Trump prefers to use pardons to assist his close colleagues rather than go through the proper pardon application process.
"Prior to the most recent pardons on December 23, about 92 percent of President Trump's pardons went to individuals with personal ties to the president or to his political allies," Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. "The presidential pardon power was placed into the Constitution for a real purpose – to right wrongs, relieve injustices, and provide second chances to those who are repentant and deserve relief. President Trump appears to prefer using presidential pardons to bestow favors upon his allies."
Congressman Krishnamoorthi introduced the Presidential Pardon Transparency Act last year, which aims to increase the transparency of the pardon power and its processes. The recent wave of pardons by President Trump has highlighted the need for this legislation to be passed into law.
Congressman Krishnamoorthi requested the following information from the White House Counsel:
- Is the White House committed to publicly announcing all presidential pardons prior to their issuance, including the names of recipients and the full text of each pardon?
- What is the process by which the White House is vetting potential presidential pardon candidates?
- Why has President Trump has been focused on pardoning personal associates?
- What safeguards are in place to shield the pardon process from bribery or coercion?
- Is the White House reviewing potential pardons for the President or any of his family members? If so, for what potential charges is the President considering such pardons?
A copy of the letter is available here.