President Trump issues 20 pardons

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump issued pardons for 20 people on Monday, several media outlets reported.

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The 15 pardons and five commutations include former campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, attorney Alex van der Zwaan and former Reps. Duncan Hunter of California, Steve Stockman of Texas and Chris Collins of New York. All three former congressmen were Republicans.

They also include the four Blackwater guards involved in the Iraq massacre.

Der Zwaan was the Dutch lawyer who was sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to lying to investigators during the Russian probe headed by Robert Mueller. Papadopoulos also pleaded guilty.

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Both men served short prison sentences, The New York Times reported.

Hunter was to begin serving an 11-month sentence next month. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to one charge of misusing campaign funds, the Times reported. Collins is serving a 26-month sentence after pleading guilty in 2019 to charges of making false statements to the FBI and to conspiring to commit securities fraud, the newspaper reported. Stockman was convicted in 2018 on charges of fraud and money laundering and was serving a 10-year sentence.

Also pardoned were Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, two Border Patrol agents convicted in 2006 of shooting and wounding an unarmed undocumented immigrant and then covering it up.

Several people convicted of non-violent drug crimes serving lengthy sentences were also issued pardons, according to The Associated Press.

Nicholas Slatten had been sentenced to life in prison, the Times reported. Slatten had been a contractor for Blackwater and was sentenced for his role in the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square in Baghdad, the newspaper reported. The others were Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, who were serving lengthy sentences, the AP reported.

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The pardons come as Trump winds down his term. President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in on Jan. 20, 2021.

Last month, the President pardoned Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser, the Times reported. Flynn pleaded guilty twice to charges that included lying to the FBI in connection with the Russian probe. In July, Trump pardoned Roger Stone, his longtime adviser who was convicted on several charges in connection with the Mueller probe.

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