President Donald Trump pardoned his influential former chief strategist Steve Bannon, in a last-minute decision made only hours before he is scheduled to depart the White House for a final time on Wednesday.
After much deliberation, Trump told his people that he had decided to pardon Bannon as “one of his final acts” in office.
In a statement, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany wrote, “President Trump granted a full pardon to Stephen Bannon. Prosecutors pursued Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project.”
“Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,” the statement also read.
Steve Bannon faced a federal case that began in August when New York federal prosecutors charged him and three others with defrauding donors of more than a million dollars as part of a fundraising campaign purportedly aimed at supporting Trump’s border wall, according to CNN.
Bannon’s pardon would follow a frantic scramble during the President’s final hours in the office as attorneys and top aides debated his inclusion on Trump’s outgoing clemency list.
Despite their falling out in recent years, Trump was eager to pardon his former aide after recently reconnecting with him as he helped fan Trump’s conspiracy theories about the election. Source: CNN, Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
