Iran Press/ America: The US President Donald Trump on Tuesday 19 February pardoned or granted clemency to or commuting the sentences of nearly a dozen people convicted of crimes, including former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and junk bond pioneer Michael Milken.
Trump also referred to himself as the nation's “chief law enforcement officer,” a title typically reserved for the US attorney general.
On Tuesday morning, the White House announced Trump’s pardoning of former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. for his involvement in the 1998 corruption case against former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards.
Ohio pastor Darrell Scott, a longtime Trump supporter, told the Associated Press that he submitted “a package” to the president advocating for DeBartolo’s pardon.
Speaking on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One en route to a fundraiser in Beverly Hills, Trump announced that he had commuted Blagojevich's sentence. The former governor is serving a 14-year sentence on federal corruption charges.
Blagojevich, a Democrat, was convicted for abusing his powers as governor by seeking campaign contributions in exchange for filling the Illinois Senate seat left open when Barack Obama became president.
Also, Trump pardoned convicted financier Michael Milken and NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik for corruption on Tuesday during a flurry of high-profile clemency grants.
Milken had pleaded guilty in 1990 to six counts of securities and tax violations.
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