The statement included a list of the names of 73 pardoned individuals and 70 others whose sentences were commuted.
“President Trump granted a full pardon to Stephen Bannon. Prosecutors pursued Mr. Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project. Mr. Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,” the statement said.
The move was described by Democratic Representative Adam Schiff as “crazy” on Twitter.
“Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for. And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is. Thank God we have only 12 more hours of this den of thieves,” Schiff said.
Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for.And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is.Thank God we have only 12 more hours of this den of thieves. https://t.co/8i7bjog9Ep
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 20, 2021
Since taking office as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017, Donald Trump has granted executive clemency to 94 individuals charged or convicted of federal criminal offenses, as authorized under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution.
Ordinarily, all requests for executive clemency for federal offenses are directed to the Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) in the U.S. Department of Justice for review; however, Trump has frequently bypassed the OPA, and the majority of his executive clemency grants have been to well-connected convicted persons who did not file a petition with the OPA or meet the OPA's requirements.
Trump has granted clemency to several associates, though the Pew Research Center found overall he granted less clemency than any modern president.