EVIL BABY. Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 Outgoing US President Donald Trump has pardoned his former adviser Steve Bannon, who is facing fraud charges. The announcement came just hours before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Mr Trump also granted clemency to more than 70 others in his final hours in office. Pardons were announced for rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black as well as for the former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Mr Bannon, who was a key adviser to President Trump during his 2016 campaign, was charged in August last year with fraud over a fundraising campaign to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. Prosecutors said Mr Bannon and three others defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors in connection with the "We Build the Wall" campaign which raised $25m (£18m). It was alleged Mr Bannon received more than $1m, at least some of which he used to cover personal expenses. He denies the charges and has yet to stand trial. Lil Wayne and Kodak Black have both been prosecuted on weapons charges while Kwame Kilpatrick is serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges. It is common for outgoing presidents to issue pardons before they leave the White House. A pardon cancels a criminal conviction, while a commutation shortens or ends a prison sentence. When it comes to crimes charged in a federal court, the US president has virtually unlimited power to pardon.
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