Latest news with #TrumpPardon
New York Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Sentenced to Life in Assassination Plot
A Tennessee man pardoned by President Trump for taking part in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been sentenced to life in prison for hatching a separate plot to assassinate the law enforcement officers who investigated his role in the riot. The life term imposed on the man, Edward Kelley, came during a hearing on Wednesday in Federal District Court in Knoxville, Tenn. Mr. Kelley was convicted at a trial there in November of charges that included conspiracy to murder federal employees and threatening federal agents. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that in 2022, while Mr. Kelley was at home facing charges in his Jan. 6-related case, he formed a group 'that was preparing for armed conflict against the United States government' — specifically, the F.B.I. Mr. Kelley, a former Marine, had been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He made a list of nearly 40 people who had been involved in his arrest or who had helped to search his home as part of the Jan. 6 investigation, targeting them for assassination, prosecutors said. Mr. Kelley also planned to attack an F.B.I. office in Knoxville, prosecutors said, using improvised explosive devices attached to vehicles and drones. He was ultimately turned in by one of his co-conspirators who secretly recorded him. Just weeks before his conviction in Knoxville, Mr. Kelley was also found guilty of assault, civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding by a federal judge at a bench trial in Washington for his role in the Capitol attack. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
News24
26-06-2025
- Politics
- News24
Trump demands Israel pardons ‘great hero' Netanyahu, or abandons corruption case against him
Donald Trump demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be pardoned or his trial abandoned. Israeli President Issac Herzog has the power to pardon Netanyahu. Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260 000 worth of luxury goods in exchange for political favours. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for Israel to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or cancel his trial on corruption charges. Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust - all of which Netanyahu denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has pleaded not guilty. 'Bibi Netanyahu's trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State (of Israel),' Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that he had learned that Netanyahu was due to appear in court on Monday. Israeli media have reported that cross-examination of Netanyahu began on 3 June in a Tel Aviv court and was expected to take about a year to complete. READ | Israeli President Issac Herzog has the power to pardon Netanyahu but has been quoted by Israeli media as saying that a pardon is 'not currently on the table'. He also said that 'no such request had been made', according to the reports. Trump extolled Netanyahu and said in his post: 'It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu.' That appeared to be a reference to US involvement and support for Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear programme. READ | US slaps sanctions on ICC judges in 'clear attempt to undermine' actions against Netanyahu, Israel Trump announced a ceasefire on Monday. It was unclear if Trump meant the US could do anything to aid Netanyahu in his legal Republican president described the case against the Israeli leader as a 'witch hunt', a term Trump has frequently applied to US attempts to prosecute him. The warm words contrasted with the rare rebuke he issued on Tuesday over Israel's post-ceasefire strikes on Iran. Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I've never seen before. The biggest load that we've seen. I'm not happy with Israel. Donald Trump Iran and Israel, he added, had been fighting 'so long and so hard that they don't know what the fuck they're doing'. AFP reported that Netanyahu's trial has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020, with the Israeli leader requesting postponements due to the war in Gaza and later conflict in Lebanon. In a first case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260 000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours. Two other cases allege that Netanyahu attempted to negotiate more favourable coverage in two Israeli media outlets. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing.
South China Morning Post
26-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Trump calls for Netanyahu's corruption trial to be cancelled
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for Israel to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or cancel his corruption trial, saying the US would save him like it did his country. Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which Netanyahu denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has pleaded not guilty. 'Bibi Netanyahu's trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State (of Israel),' Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that he had learned that Netanyahu was due to appear in court on Monday. Israeli media have reported that cross-examination of Netanyahu began on June 3 in a Tel Aviv court and was expected to take about a year to complete. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit last week to the site of an Iranian missile attack in the city of Rehovot. Photo: AFP Israeli President Isaac Herzog has the power to pardon Netanyahu but has been quoted by Israeli media as saying that a pardon is 'not currently on the table'. He also said that 'no such request had been made', according to the reports.
Associated Press
05-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Diver convicted of freeing sharks off Florida coast says he was surprised by presidential pardon
MIAMI (AP) — A shark-diving charter boat captain convicted of theft for freeing 19 sharks and a giant grouper from a fisherman's longline off the coast of Florida says he's felt like he was living in an alternate universe for the past five years. That changed last week when he received a presidential pardon . 'This is something I never thought I'd hold,' John Moore Jr. said Tuesday, as he showed off the document with U.S. President Donald Trump's signature scrawled across the bottom. Moore and crew member Tanner Mansell were convicted in 2022 of theft of property within special maritime jurisdiction. The two men avoided prison time but were ordered to pay $3,343.72 in restitution. The felony convictions prevented them from voting in Florida, owning firearms or traveling freely outside the U.S. Moore said he and his attorneys were surprised by the pardon, because they hadn't petitioned for one. 'We didn't reach out to the White House,' Moore said. 'We never approached them for a pardon, because that was kind of skipping steps, like we had actually filed the paperwork to take this to the Supreme Court.' Moore and Mansell spotted the longline about 3 miles (5 kilometers) off the Jupiter Inlet in August 2020, according to court records. Believing it was an illegal fishing line, the men freed the sharks and a grouper, reported it to state wildlife officials and brought the line back to shore. Federal prosecutors later charged the men with theft. Officials said the line belonged to a fisherman licensed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to catch sharks for research. Mansell and Moore were convicted by a jury, and their appeals were later denied. The full and unconditional pardons signed by Trump erase those convictions. 'Would I have done something different, now that I know that that was a legal line?' Moore asked. 'I was a commercial fisherman. I would never touch a legal line. But now I know more about this, that those things can exist.'
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The View host forced to apologize on-air over poor taste Diddy joke
The View co-host Sara Haines was forced to apologize live on-air after a joke about Sean ' Diddy ' Combs drew audible groans from the studio audience. The segment began with a discussion about whether President Donald Trump, 78, might consider pardoning Combs, 55, who is currently facing serious charges including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Alyssa Farah Griffin, 35, noted that rapper 50 Cent - who has long criticized Combs - has taken it upon himself to try and dissuade Trump from granting a pardon, should the embattled music mogul be convicted. '50 Cent has had a bit of a relationship with Trump… He came out and said he was going to talk to Trump about why he should not pardon Diddy, because he's been all on Diddy's things for years and been calling him out for it,' Griffin explained on the show. Haines, 47, interjected with a quip: 'Everyone's been on Diddy's things…' before trailing off. Though her incomplete remark drew a laugh from one of her co-hosts, it also sparked groans from the audience. Recognizing the misstep, Haines quickly apologized, whispering 'sorry' under her breath so quietly it went largely unnoticed by the rest of the panel. Going on without a hitch, the conversation then shifted to a broader discussion about Trump's controversial history of pardoning rappers. Co-host Sunny Hostin, 56, chimed in criticizing the idea of pardoning Combs, calling it 'shameful' in light of the serious nature of the allegations. 'I've been in that courtroom almost every single day, and we're hearing about women who were physically abused, who were sexually abused, who were mentally and emotionally abused,' Hostin said. 'And the thought that [Trump] would just consider it - and he himself has been found civilly liable for sexual abuse - the fact that he would be so dismissive of these charges is really something that is shameful. It's just shameful.' Joy Behar, 82, attempted to inject some levity, joking, 'Trump would pardon Jack the Ripper if he was alive.' Haines' latest controversy adds to a string of recent criticisms the daytime talk show host has faced. Just days earlier, during a May 28 episode, she came under fire for urging critics of Trump to 'pick your battles' during a discussion about his controversial pardons of reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley. The Chrisley Knows Best couple was found guilty in 2022 of federal charges including tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud community banks. Todd was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie received a seven-year sentence. Both sentences have since been reduced. On the show, co-host Ana Navarro, 53, warned against normalizing Trump's actions, saying, 'We have to not normalize this and allow it to continue to happen. There's a For Sale sign on the lawn of the White House.' She claimed that Trump's pardons of the Chrisley's show that 'if you are a supporter, if you are a donor, then you can buy pardons.' Haines disagreed. 'Everyone reacts to everything saying, "Don't normalize this," whenever Trump does something outrageous,' she said. 'There's a strategy to picking your battles.' Her comments sparked backlash from some viewers, who felt she was downplaying the seriousness of Trump's behavior. During a May 28 episode, Haines came under fire for urging critics of Trump to 'pick your battles' during a discussion about his controversial pardons of reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley Her comments sparked backlash from some viewers, who felt she was downplaying the seriousness of Trump's behavior To support her position, Haines referenced what she described as 'proverbs,' telling the audience: 'The man who chases two rabbits catches neither,' and 'When you yell at everything, nobody hears anything.' 'There's a strategy to not jumping every time he does something,' she argued, adding that Trump pardoning his supporters is 'not surprising.' Still, Haines was careful to clarify that she was not excusing Trump's actions. 'I'm more upset about the Qatari jet, the January 6th pardons - which were violent criminals - the deportations without due process, the attacks on federal institutions with no cause,' she said. 'Those, to me, are fundamentally way more problematic.' When she finished, co-host Joy Behar dryly remarked, 'That's a lot of rabbits you listed.' Some speculate that Haines' recent tone may reflect behind-the-scenes pressure.
