Latest news with #pardons
CBS News
10 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Former Trump supporter Pamela Hill refuses and returns her Jan. 6 pardon
What to know about Trump's flurry of pardons What to know about Trump's flurry of pardons What to know about Trump's flurry of pardons Amid the wave of pardons and commutations President Trump has doled out to some of his supporters and surrogates, one former MAGA loyalist in Idaho is fighting to return her pardon. Pamela Hemphill is one of the more than 1,500 people whom Mr. Trump pardoned earlier this year for their roles in the U.S. Capitol Insurrection. She has invoked help from her Republican Senator to formally refuse and block the pardon Trump issued her on Jan. 20, his first day back in the White House. Though Hemphill was a defendant of the largest criminal prosecution in American history, she is seemingly standing alone now as the only Jan. 6 defendant to refuse the clemency Mr. Trump offered. Speaking with CBS News from her home in Idaho, Hemphill said, "The pardons just contribute to their narrative, which is all lies, propaganda. We were guilty, period." "We all know that they're gaslighting us. They are using January 6 to just continue Trump's narrative that the Justice Department was weaponized," she said. "They were not, When the FBI came to my home, oh my God, they were very professional. They treated me very good." Hemphill pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for her role in the crowd on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors argued Hemphill "was in the front of the crowd that confronted U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers attempting to keep the rioters behind the metal bike-rack barriers." They alleged Hemphill galvanized others to descend on Washington for the certification of the electoral vote after the 2020 election, according to court filings. "On December 28, 2020, Hemphill posted encouragement to go to Washington, D.C. for January 6, saying 'its a WAR!' On January 1, 2021, she posted a message 'on my way to Washington DC January 6th," the prosecution said. Image from court filings show Pamela Hemphill's social media post about Jan. 6, 2021. Handout Hemphill also pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a count of unlawful parading and was sentenced later that year to a term that included three years of probation. Her case mirrors many other misdemeanor cases from the U.S. Capitol siege, in which members of the crowd were not accused of making physical contact with police or damaging any property. Hemphill was spared from serving prison time at sentencing, though prosecutors emphasized how each member of the mob contributed to the breakdown of police lines, the injuries and the damage to American democracy. Hemphill told CBS News the pardons for her and fellow members of the crowd were inappropriate and damaging Americans' views of the federal government. "How could you sleep at night taking a pardon when you know you were guilty? You know that everybody there was guilty. I couldn't live with myself. I have to be right with me. And with God," Hemphill said. Former Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer, who was fired by the Trump Administration in March after a disagreement over a case, told CBS News that Hemphill's protest is a sharp contrast from the conduct of other Capitol riot defendants who championed their own pardons. "Some Jan. 6 defendants blew up our phones seeking a copy of their pardons. They wanted the copies quickly," Oyer said. "They wanted it framed and signed." Court filings reviewed by CBS News show other Jan. 6 defendants have utilized their pardon certificates to make arguments in court about their cases, restitution payments or other legal matters. In contrast, senate records obtained by CBS News show Hemphill sought assistance from Sen. James Risch, a Republican Senator from Idaho, to secure a formal acknowledgement from the Department of Justice that she will not accept her pardon. In an April 2 correspondence from the Office of the Pardon Attorney to Sen. Risch, the pardon attorney's office wrote, "Ms. Hemphill's non-acceptance is noted." The letter said the Justice Department would not issue Hemphill a formal certificate to chronicle her pardon. In a statement to CBS News, a spokesperson for Risch said, "The Office of U.S. Senator Jim Risch regularly assists constituents with matters pertaining to federal agencies or programs. Due to privacy concerns, we cannot disclose details about individual cases." Hemphill has sparred on social media and in podcasts with other Jan. 6 defendants over her arguments about what she says is the whitewashing of the Capitol riot. In one segment on a podcast earlier this spring, Hemphill debated Enrique Tarrio, a former Proud Boys leader who was convicted at trial and received the longest prison sentence of any Jan. 6 defendant. Tarrio's sentence was commuted by Trump. Hemphill told CBS News she expects her protest will garner the attention of the president. "Trump will probably say that ungrateful lady, I'm going to make sure she gets back on probation and give her the worst you can give her. I won't be surprised," she said.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Live updates: Trump to hold rally to promote deal with Japan-based Nippon Steel
President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Pennsylvania on Friday to celebrate a details-to-come deal for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel, which he says will keep the iconic American steelmaker under U.S.-control. Update: Date: 2025-05-30 12:08:19 Title: Trump's latest pardons benefit an array of political allies and public figures Content: A governor who resigned amid a corruption scandal and served two stints in federal prison. A New York Republican who resigned from Congress after a tax fraud conviction and who made headlines for threatening to throw a reporter off a Capitol balcony over a question he didn't like. Reality TV stars convicted of cheating banks and evading taxes. All were unlikely beneficiaries this week of pardons, with Trump flexing his executive power to bestow clemency on political allies, prominent public figures and others convicted of defrauding the public. The moves not only take aim at criminal cases once touted as just by the Justice Department but also come amid a continuing Trump administration erosion of public integrity guardrails, including the firing of the department's pardon attorney and the near-dismantling of a prosecution unit established to hold public officials accountable for abusing the public trust. ▶ Read more about Trump's pardons Update: Date: 2025-05-30 12:06:15 Title: Ask AP a question Content: Update: Date: 2025-05-30 12:05:44 Title: Trump has long warned of a government 'deep state.' Now in power, he's under pressure to expose it Content: Four months into his second term, Trump has continued to stoke dark theories involving his predecessors and other powerful politicians and attorneys — most recently raising the specter of nefarious intent behind former President Joe Biden's use of an autopen to sign papers. The administration has pledged to reopen investigations and has taken steps to declassify certain documents, including releasing more than 63,000 pages of records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Yet many of Trump's supporters say it's not enough. Some who take him at his word are beginning to get restless as they ask why his administration, which holds the keys to chasing down these alleged government secrets, is denying them the evidence and retribution they expected. His Justice Department has not yet arrested hordes of 'deep state' actors as some of his supporters had hoped it would, even as the president has been posting cryptic videos and memes about Democratic politicians. ▶ Read more about Trump and the 'deep state' Update: Date: 2025-05-30 12:02:31 Title: Trump holding Pennsylvania rally to promote deal for Japan-based Nippon to 'partner' with US Steel Content: Trump is holding a rally in Pennsylvania on Friday to celebrate a details-to-come deal for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel, which he says will keep the iconic American steelmaker under U.S.-control. Though Trump initially vowed to block the Japanese steelmaker's bid to buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, he changed course and announced an agreement last week for what he described as 'partial ownership' by Nippon. It's not clear, though, if the deal his administration helped broker has been finalized or how ownership would be structured. Trump stressed the deal would maintain American control of the storied company, which is seen as both a political symbol and an important matter for the country's supply chain, industries like auto manufacturing and national security. U.S. Steel has not publicly communicated any details of a revamped deal to investors. Nippon Steel issued a statement approving of the proposed 'partnership' but also has not disclosed terms of the arrangement. ▶ Read more about the deal
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Trump Making News With More Pardons And Commutations
During his first term, President Donald Trump issued a total of 238 pardons and commutations (143 pardons and 85 commutations). Like presidents before him, the majority of those receiving commutations had served a significant part of their prison term while most all of those pardoned had completed their sentence years ago. In fact, most executive orders for commutations come in the final days of the administration, not at the beginning. In terms of raw numbers, Trump's 238 clemency actions in his first term rank lower compared to other recent presidents, particularly Barack Obama. However, his total number of pardons was higher than those of Bush and Clinton in their respective first terms. In terms of total clemency actions, Trump's record is relatively modest compared to some of his predecessors. Here's a rough comparison: In March 2025, President Donald Trump dismissed Liz Oyer, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney. Oyer had held the position since 2022, overseeing the review of federal clemency requests and advising the president on potential pardons. Following Oyer's departure, Ed Martin Jr., a former interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, was appointed as the new pardon attorney. Martin has indicated plans to scrutinize pardons issued by the previous administration, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in the clemency process. Now, Trump has turned his attention to granting commutations and pardons to high profile prisoners. He is even issuing pardons to those convicted but have not even started their prison sentence, something extremely rare. On January 20, 2025, Trump issued a sweeping series of pardons and commutations for individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. This action was one of his first acts upon returning to the White House. In addition to granting pardons, President Trump directed the Department of Justice to seek the dismissal of all pending cases related to the Capitol riot. Since then, he has started to look at individual cases that he believes represent overreach by both the US Attorney's Offices and federal judges. On May 27, Trump announced that he would grant full pardons to reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who had been convicted in 2022 on charges of tax evasion and bank fraud. The Chrisleys were sentenced to 12 and 7 years in federal prison, respectively, and began serving their sentences in January 2023. Julie won an appeal for a resentencing but U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross sentenced her again to 7 years, then ending her chance at freedom. Their convictions stemmed from allegations that they used false documents to secure over $30 million in loans, which they used to fund a lavish lifestyle. Last week, Trump issued a pardon to a former Virginia sheriff who was convicted on fraud and bribery charges and had yet to even enter prison. Jenkins, a long-time supporter of Trump, was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison. "Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network. The New York Times has reported that individuals are lining up contacts in Trump's inner-circle to lobby for them. Former U.S. Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer stated in an interview on NBC News that Trump's actions on pardons are troubling. 'Granting pardons to people in this manner threatens to upend ongoing prosecutions by the Department of Justice. It also threatens to delegitimize the prosecutorial institutions that we have historically relied on.' There is no shortage of people to pardon and Trump will most certainly consider more in the future including that of his long time confidant Steve Bannon and Trump's current adviser on economic issues Peter Navarro. Both Navarro and Bannon completed their prison terms last year. With Trump's newly found penchant for crypto currency, he could look to pardon someone like FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried. There are also big names in politics like former congressman George Santos and former senator Robert Menendez who are both heading to prison soon. In business he could look to someone like Elizabeth Holmes to make a statement about aggressive prosecutions as she serves over 11 years in prison. Others have speculated that with a former convicted felon pardoned by Trump during his first term and now activist, Alice Johnson, as Pardon Czar, that the pardons will keep on coming. Trump seems to be using his executive powers to reshape prosecutions brought by US Attorneys and sentences handed down by federal judges. Trump has wasted no time in calling out prosecutors and judges appointed by Joe Biden. Some are thinking that Trump, keen to do govern by executive order, has found that pardons can set the agenda for a Department of Justice and judiciary that he wants.
