Trump is pardoning allies and backers. Who’s seeking clemency now?

President Donald Trump has granted dozens of executive pardons in the past few weeks alone, granting pardons and commutations to prominent businessmen, political supporters and other allies.

Some hope he’s just getting started.

Trump began using his presidential clemency powers aggressively on the first day of his second term, when he pardoned nearly 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Presidential pardons erase federal criminal convictions, while commutations shorten or cancel prison sentences and sometimes associated fines.

In the following months, pardon recipients included several high-profile figures, including former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Hunter Biden’s former business partner. Devon ArcherHe discredited Nikola founder Trevor Milton, reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, former US Representative George Santos and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.

Trump on Monday granted largely symbolic pardons to more than six dozen people involved in his efforts to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race, U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin said. appeared on social media. Those included in the amnesty package do not face federal charges related to the 2020 election. The president’s pardon power does not extend to state-level cases.

This group includes Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s onetime personal lawyer and former New York mayor, as well as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Some of those who benefited from Trump’s mercy: multiple people Involved in the January 6 Capitol riot, he has since charged with new crimes.

The Ministry of Justice has an office of the Amnesty Prosecutor’s Office. official process for people to apply for amnesty and for the agency to established standards Thank you for evaluating the petitions. But Trump’s White House reportedly Former pardon recipient Alice Johnson’s administration’s “amnesty tsar“

Previous presidents have been accused of abusing their pardon powers, including Biden, who issued last-minute pardons for family members and preemptive pardons for others. bipartisan condemnations.

However, Trump’s approach, which sometimes favors famous names and those who praise him, has led to unprecedented criticism.

“This is like a celebrity pardon,” said former George W. Bush administration official John Yoo. Washington Post In June.

This has also led to the emergence of a small industry of lawyers and lobbyists who charge high fees to help their clients seek Trump’s clemency. Reported by the online publication NOTUS.

Trump withdrew the pardons in the summer after White House officials became concerned about efforts to profit from the process. NBC News reported last month. But numerous pardon actions in recent weeks suggest that Trump does not currently share those concerns.

This could be good news for some high-profile names who are seen as candidates for pardons or commutations from Trump.

Based on public reporting and the president’s own statements, here’s who might be on that list:

The Democratic minority of the House Judiciary Committee shared the following on Monday:whistleblower informationHe said Maxwell, a longtime accomplice of notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was preparing a “mitigation application” for the Trump administration.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for acting as a supplier of young girls for Epstein. Supreme Court In early October he refused to accept Maxwell’s appeal of his conviction.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee’s ranking member, denounced Trump in a speech, saying he “has good reason to believe” he could “get an extraordinary grant of clemency from you.” letter We are looking for answers from him.

“By feigning ignorance and distancing yourself from the situation, you clearly refused to disregard compassion for him,” Raskin wrote to Trump.

Trump gave vague answers when asked repeatedly about the possibility of pardoning Maxwell.

When asked on October 6 whether he was considering a pardon for himself, Trump said, “I haven’t heard that name in a long time. I can say that I need to take a look. I need to take a look.”

“I’ll talk to the DOJ,” Trump said when asked to clarify whether he was considering it. “I wouldn’t or wouldn’t think about it; I don’t know anything about it.”

In response to the tip allegations shared Monday, a White House spokesperson told NBC that it “does not comment on potential requests for pardons.”

“As President Trump has stated, pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell is not something he is considering,” the spokesperson said.

Lauren Hersh, national director of anti-trafficking group World Without Exploitation, said Tuesday that Maxwell’s sentence “should be upheld like everyone else’s.”

“Issuing a mitigation order now would send a clear message to the survivors of his crimes and countless others who have been sexually victimized that unfortunately his power outweighs the truth and that the justice owed to survivors may be denied,” Hersh said.

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ path to mercy seems narrow at best right now.

The combs were: She was sentenced to more than four years in prison in early October on two prostitution-related charges.

Combs’ lawyers after his conviction Reached Trump a member of the legal team to seek clemency he told CNN.

“My understanding is that we have communicated and have had discussions regarding pardons,” attorney Nicole Westmoreland told the news outlet.

Trump said on August 1: Interview with Newsmax He said he opposed pardoning Combs.

On October 6, Trump confirmed that Combs’ team had been in touch.

“A lot of people have asked me for forgiveness. I call him ‘Puff Daddy’.” [he] He asked for pardon from me,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

Afterwards TMZ The White House, which reported on October 20 that Trump was considering commuting Combs’ sentence, rejected this: calling the story wrong.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in late 2022 He was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for deceiving investors about his shuttered company’s blood testing technology.

Trump has not commented on Holmes and has not publicly asked for a pardon. well-groomed he was “wrongly convicted of defrauding investors.”

Holmes still features on online betting site Polymarket’s list Among possible Trump pardon subjects, his chances are currently about the same as Maxwell’s.

on tuesday Policy Some people who embrace the pro-Trump “Make America Healthy Again” movement reported supporting Holmes.

In late August, Holmes continued to post on her inactive social media account on X. to be clear with approvingly reference Embers And civil servants under him, while others detail allegedly harsh prison conditions.

On October 31, he reached Santos, whose sentence Trump had recently commuted: don’t write“I’m glad you’re trying to solve a lot of the problems you’re having personally.”

On November 3 he replied To a post calling Trump the “Best President Ever” in response to the president reportedly stepping in to help provide medical treatment to one of his supporters, Scott Adams.

SBF is serving a 25-year prison sentence after being convicted in late 2023 of defrauding customers of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

The 33-year-old and his family reportedly requested the pardon, in part by consulting a lawyer affiliated with Trump. New York Times And Wall StreetJournal both were reported in March. Bankman-Fried also expressed her more conservative political views in media interviews following Trump’s return to the White House.

Trump has embraced the crypto industry in his second term, but there is no indication he is considering a pardon for Bankman-Fried.

SBF’s chances of receiving a pardon at Polymarket increased after Trump pardoned Zhao, the founder of crypto exchange Binance, on October 23.

It was asked somehow CBS “60 Minutes” When asked in his interview why he pardoned Zhao, Trump replied, “Okay, are you ready? I don’t know who he is.”

Allies of Menendez, a former Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey, have made multiple attempts to ask Trump for a pardon or commutation of his 11-year prison sentence. NBC reported In May.

While Trump has not ruled out pardoning Menendez, some of the former senator’s allies believe the president will ultimately refuse to do so, NBC reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

71-year-old Menendez prisoner in July 2024 on bribery and other charges. He was sent to prison in June.

— CNBC’s Dan Manganese contributed to this report.