Trump clemency list expected to include Lil Wayne and a once powerful New York politician
Trump is unlikely to issue pre-emptive pardons to his children, sources said.
President Donald Trump's final clemency list, though not as long as originally expected, could include some names that will cause another wave of controversy as his time in office comes to an end.
His clemency list is expected to have a wide range of individuals, including the former speaker of the New York State Assembly Sheldon Silver and rap star Lil Wayne, according to sources familiar with the White House operation but would not specify who would be receiving a pardon, which would erase both a person's conviction and sentence, or commutation, which would lift an individual's sentence but not a conviction.
Trump's final list, which is not fully completed, is expected to include upwards of 100 individuals and could be announced as soon as Tuesday, the sources added.
Trump is unlikely to issue pre-emptive pardons to his children and other close associates, despite weeks of internal battles amongst White House aides, sources with knowledge of those conversations told ABC News Monday. The sources said they do not expect Trump to issue a pardon for himself, although the sources noted the conversations have been fluid and the president has been known to change his mind.
The president has been encouraged by allies to issue pardons to his children and himself over fears of possible criminal investigations, specifically after Trump's call with Georgia state officials regarding the 2020 election results and the rally held on the National Mall last week that incited a riot on Capitol Hill after Trump and members of his family spoke to the crowd.
Dwayne Michael Carter, known professionally as Lil Wayne, pleaded guilty in December 2020 to illegally possessing a loaded, gold-plated .45-caliber handgun while traveling to South Florida on a private plane in December 2019. Wayne met Trump in Florida in October 2020 and tweeted a photo of the meeting. An attorney for Carter declined to comment.
Silver, the once-powerful longtime speaker of the New York State Assembly who was convicted twice on corruption charges, was sentenced to jail last summer. An attorney for Silver did not respond to ABC News.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment.
Trump issued a flurry of pardons and commutations last month to a slew of controversial figures with ties to his administration. Among those were George Papadopoulos, a former campaign aide indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller; Duncan Hunter and Chris Collins, both former Republican congressmen convicted of financial crimes and four former Blackwater Worldwide military contractors responsible for the shooting deaths of 14 Iraqis in 2007.
In November, the president also pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI during Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
This report was featured in the Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.
"Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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