Latest news with #clemency
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
Flattery, Lobbyists and a Business Deal: Crypto's Richest Man Campaigns for a Pardon
In 2023, as Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the giant cryptocurrency exchange Binance, prepared to plead guilty to U.S. money-laundering violations, he fashioned a crash course for himself on clemency politics, reading books about business tycoons who had received pardons, including Marc Rich and Michael Milken. Two years later, Mr. Zhao, a Chinese-born billionaire, is out of prison and mounting a pardon campaign of his own, backed by a sophisticated influence operation worthy of those high-profile predecessors. Even at a time when many pardon seekers are paying hefty fees to lobbyists and lawyers with connections to President Trump, Mr. Zhao's push stands out. The stakes could be enormous for the crypto industry, and Mr. Zhao and his team are deploying the full playbook of techniques that have helped deep-pocketed interests win preferential treatment from Mr. Trump. Publicly, Mr. Zhao, in podcast interviews, has praised the president's crypto policies. Behind the scenes, his team has hired lobbyists with ties to Mr. Trump's orbit. Binance has also cultivated a business relationship with the Trumps, striking a deal that benefited the family's own crypto firm, World Liberty Financial. Mr. Zhao and Binance pleaded guilty to serious crimes in 2023, acknowledging that a flawed compliance system had allowed bad actors to move money on the platform. But the Trump administration appears to be considering the possibility of granting clemency. The White House has received pardon applications from both Mr. Zhao and Binance, according to two people briefed on the applications, one of whom said the White House indicated that they were being reviewed. And in private conversations with other executives, advisers to Mr. Trump have floated the possibility of a pardon for Mr. Zhao and discussed the possible political fallout, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Rep. Krishnamoorthi: ‘Absolutely' open to hearing from Epstein survivors
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) tells CNN's Pamela Brown that he "absolutely" wants to hear from Jeffrey Epstein victims who're willing to testify. He says the Justice Department has not responded to the Oversight Committee's subpoena demanding documents related to Epstein and discusses his new resolution seeking to ban clemency for Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Attorney for Sean ‘Diddy' Combs has approached Trump administration for pardon: report
Attorneys for Sean 'Diddy' Combs have reached out to the Trump administration about the possibility of a pardon. Nicole Westmoreland, a member of the convicted music mogul's defense team, told CNN Tuesday that 'conversations' had taken place with officials about the possibility of clemency. Last month, a jury convicted Combs on two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. 'It's my understanding that we've reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,' Westmoreland told CNN. When asked previously, the president has seemed to consider that a pardon for the rapper may well be possible, though he noted during the trial that no one had asked him for that. But in a Friday interview Trump also recalled previous previous remarks made by Combs, when he called for the president to be 'banished' in 2020, and, following his defeat to Joe Biden that 'the number one priority is to get Trump out of office.' 'When I ran for office, he was very hostile,' Trump said in the interview. 'It's hard, you know? We're human beings. And we don't like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine, and then you run for office, and he made some terrible statements. 'So I don't know … It makes it more difficult to do.' He added that Combs was 'essentially, I guess, sort of half-innocent… He was celebrating a victory, but I guess it wasn't as good of a victory.' Combs had been facing up to life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges, but now faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years. Prosecutors have not said what sentence they will pursue, though previously indicated Combs could face a minimum range of 51 to 63 months in prison and a recent filing indicated the sentence could be 'substantially higher.' Asked about Combs' feelings over his chances of a pardon, Westmoreland told CNN that the mogul 'is a very hopeful person and I believe that he remains hopeful.' The Independent has reached out to the White House about the possibility of a presidential pardon for Combs.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Inside GOP's effort to stop Trump from pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
Donald Trump is facing warnings from Republicans concerned he is considering a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein 's associate Ghislaine Maxwell. While the president has acknowledged his ability to pardon Maxwell for her child sexual trafficking crimes, he has not signaled he intends to do so. But after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met for interviews with Maxwell in Florida last month, there are concerns that her bid for a pardon might be gaining traction. One senator, who requested anonymity to speak with The Hill about a potential pardon, said that Maxwell has an incentive to 'lie' to get her sentence reduced. This lawmaker warned against trusting anything Maxwell says in her effort for a pardon. 'It's ridiculous that he would consider shortening a sentence for somebody who aided and abetted sexual trafficking as she did,' said the Republican senator. The lawmaker described that argument as specious: 'She's trafficking underage children. I can't imagine anything she could say could nullify her heinous crimes.' Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus sent a letter to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee saying that if his client receives clemency for her 20-year prison sentence, she would go before Congress to testify 'openly and honestly' about Epstein. The panel's Chairman, Rep. James Comer, agreed to postpone Maxwell's testimony , which was initially scheduled for August 11 because her lawyers want to wait until after the Supreme Court considers their appeal of her 2021 conviction. Logistics for questioning could get complicated after Maxwell was last week moved to Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) did not publicly specify reasoning for the transfer. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota agreed that Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi would need a strong justification for pardoning Maxwell – or even commuting her sentence. He said, according to The Hill, that it would be 'difficult' to reason granting Maxwell any pardon or leniency considering the severity of her crimes. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her crimes, which include sexual trafficking conspiracy and enticing and transporting minors to engage in criminal sexual activity. 'There have been no discussions or consideration of a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, and there never will be,' a senior White House official told the Daily Mail on July 15. Asked on Monday this remains true, a White House official said the office 'will not comment on the existence or nonexistence of any clemency request.' The whole saga started on July 6 when the Justice Department and FBI released a memo saying that it found in its review of the Epstein files that the child sexual criminal died by killing himself in prison on August 10, 2019. It also concluded that there was no 'client list' and said no one else would be charged in relation to the crimes. This sent MAGA circles into immediate fury, with some claiming a cover-up was underway and others calling for AG Bondi to be removed from her position. Deputy AG Blanche was subsequently tasked with two-days of talks with Maxwell to find out what the Epstein confidante knew in an effort to quell Trump's base. It's unclear yet what has come from those interviews.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Inside the furious Republican-led effort to STOP Trump from pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
Donald Trump is facing warnings from Republicans concerned he is considering a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein 's associate Ghislaine Maxwell. While the president has acknowledged his ability to pardon Maxwell for her child sex trafficking crimes, he has not signaled he intends to do so. But after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met for interviews with Maxwell in Florida last month, there are concerns that her bid for a pardon might be gaining traction. One senator, who requested anonymity to speak with The Hill about a potential pardon, said that Maxwell has an incentive to 'lie' to get her sentence reduced. This lawmaker warned against trusting anything Maxwell says in her effort for a pardon. 'It's ridiculous that he would consider shortening a sentence for somebody who aided and abetted sexual trafficking as she did,' said the Republican senator. The lawmaker described that argument as specious: 'She's trafficking underage children. I can't imagine anything she could say could nullify her heinous crimes.' Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus sent a letter to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee saying that if his client receives clemency for her 20-year prison sentence, she would go before Congress to testify 'openly and honestly' about Epstein. The panel's Chairman, Rep. James Comer, agreed to postpone Maxwell's testimony, which was initially scheduled for August 11 because her lawyers want to wait until after the Supreme Court considers their appeal of her 2021 conviction. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) did not publicly specify reasoning for the transfer. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota agreed that Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi would need a strong justification for pardoning Maxwell – or even commuting her sentence. He said, according to The Hill, that it would be 'difficult' to reason granting Maxwell any pardon or leniency considering the severity of her crimes. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her crimes, which include sex trafficking conspiracy and enticing and transporting minors to engage in criminal sexual activity. A senior White House official told the Daily Mail on July 15: 'There have been no discussions or consideration of a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, and there never will be.' The whole saga started on July 6 when the Justice Department and FBI released a memo saying that it found in its review of the Epstein files that the child sex criminal died by suicide in prison on August 10, 2019. It also concluded that there was no 'client list' and said no one else would be charged in relation to the crimes. This sent MAGA circles into immediate fury, with some claiming a cover-up was underway and others calling for AG Bondi to be removed from her position. Deputy AG Blanche was subsequently tasked with two-days of talks with Maxwell to find out what the Epstein confidante knew in an effort to quell Trump's base. It's unclear yet what has come from those interviews. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she has 'no idea what to expect out' of the conversations between Maxwell and the DOJ. 'Just because she comes and gives testimony doesn't necessarily mean [she] should be given any kind of a pardon, I don't think,' she added. 'There's a lot more that has to be looked at.'
