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Trump Pardons Tag

Donald Trump has issued a full pardon to former General Michael Flynn, who was wrongfully targeted by the FBI during the 2016-2017 transition as part of a broader effort to undermine and sabotage the incoming administration.

President Donald Trump has pardoned ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, the men who inspired the 2016 armed occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon, resulting in a stand-off between protestors and the federal government. The men were convicted "in 2012 of intentionally and maliciously setting fires on public lands."

ALL the pardons! Thursday, Trump announced via Twitter that he will be issuing a full pardon to Dinesh D'Souza.

A federal judge in Arizona previously ruled that Donald Trump's pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio was legally effective, despite claims from several left-wing public interest groups and law professors that the pardon was unlawful. We covered that ruling in Pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio upheld by court. In that post, we noted that there was an open issue as to whether the pardon required the court to vacate all prior orders in the case, including the finding of criminal contempt, or merely hold off on sentencing:

In late August, we covered the attempts of certain leftist interest groups to challenge the pardon granted former Sheriff Joseph Arpaio by President Trump. Media and activist Trump-Derangement-Syndrome types like Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post gave credence to the arguments against a pardon, but there never was any there there, as I wrote in Overblown hype about Court scheduling oral argument in dismissal of Arpaio conviction.

We previously reported on the Court proceedings after President Trump unconditionally pardoned former Sheriff Joe Arpaio after he was found guilty of criminal contempt of court. There was a lot of speculation that the Judge setting an October 4 hearing on Arpaio's motion to dismiss the case and vacate all prior Orders was a sign the Judge considered the pardon of suspect effectiveness.  I explained why the scheduling of a hearing did not warrant such speculation, Overblown hype about Court scheduling oral argument in dismissal of Arpaio conviction:

Evan Siegfried is the sort of Republican MSNBC prefers as panelists: One who supported Hillary Clinton, and later Evan McMullin, and is happy to condemn President Trump. Appearing on today's AM Joy, Siegfried went beyond mere condemnation to predict Trump would stage an event to exploit politically. Discussing the Arpaio pardon, Siegfried said:

Progressives and #NeverTrumpers across the nation shriek that President Donald Trump should stop tweeting. In fact, former undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson wants to crowdfund enough money to buy Twitter so she can close President Donald Trump's account. However, someone should really tell California Senator Kamala Harris to take a break from Twitter herself. For instance, her latest legal opinion of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio possibly receiving a pardon from President Trump is a little thin on logic and reason.

On the day before early voting began in Arizona, Obama's Department of Justice decided to pursue charges against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a widely known opponent of illegal immigration. This is nothing short of stunning. The Associated Press reports, via NBC News:
Feds to Pursue Contempt Charges Against Sheriff Joe Arpaio Prosecutors said Tuesday they will charge Sheriff Joe Arpaio with criminal contempt-of-court for defying a judge's orders to end his signature immigration patrols in Arizona, exposing the 84-year-old lawman to the possibility of jail time and clouding his political future as he seeks a seventh term.