A Democracy Drive Thread
Clemency for January 6 defendants, crypto executives, corrupt politicians, donors, and a foreign president — and what some of them did once they were free.
This thread tracks the use of the pardon and commutation power in chronological order, with sources: who received clemency, the circumstances, and the documented aftermath in cases where pardoned individuals were later arrested or charged again. Several entries also appear in other threads (the 2020-election pardons, the Maxwell matter); they are included here because they are, first, exercises of the pardon power. Entries are presented in order so the pattern is visible on its own.
January 19, 2021
On January 19, 2021, President Donald Trump commuted the 24-year prison sentence of Eliyahu Weinstein, a New Jersey man convicted of defrauding investors out of $230 million. Weinstein was released from prison after serving less than eight years. Following his release, Weinstein orchestrated a new multi-million dollar fraud scheme involving medical supplies and baby formula for Ukraine, resulting in a 37-year federal prison sentence on November 14, 2025.
May 15, 2023
Noelle Dunphy, a former aide to Rudy Giuliani, filed a lawsuit alleging that Giuliani offered to sell presidential pardons for $2 million each, to be split between himself and Donald Trump, while avoiding the official pardon process to evade FOIA requests. She also alleged that Giuliani detailed plans to overturn the 2020 election results by claiming voter fraud.
January 1, 2025
Donald Trump issued a broad pardon for individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol insurrection, which resulted in the release of Andrew Taake. Taake had been sentenced to six years in prison for attacking police officers with bear spray and a whip, and the time he served in federal pretrial detention for the Capitol attack was credited toward his sentence for separate child sex crimes in Texas, allowing him to avoid further prison time for those offenses.
January 20, 2025
Jared Wise, a former FBI agent who was indicted on six counts related to his actions during the January 6 Capitol attack, was hired as a senior adviser in the Department of Justice. Body camera footage from the event shows Wise urging rioters to "kill" law enforcement officers and calling them "the Gestapo." Wise was pardoned by President Trump on his inauguration day, and the DOJ moved to dismiss his criminal case on January 20, 2025.
President Donald Trump issued approximately 1,500 pardons and commuted the sentences of 14 individuals associated with the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including those convicted of seditious conspiracy and those who had assaulted law enforcement officers.
March 27, 2025
President Donald Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon to Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola Corporation, who had been sentenced to four years in prison for securities and wire fraud. The pardon effectively nullifies hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution owed to defrauded investors, including $680 million to Nikola shareholders and $15.2 million to Peter Hicks.
March 29, 2025
Jonathan Braun, a convicted drug smuggler and predatory lender whose sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021, was arrested on March 29, 2025, for allegedly punching a man and shoving a three-year-old child to the ground during a Sabbath dinner in Lawrence, New York. Braun has been arrested multiple times since his release, including for allegedly assaulting his wife and father-in-law, groping a nanny, and menacing health-care workers. Following these arrests, a federal judge ordered his detention on April 4, 2025, ruling that he he is a danger to the community and a flight risk.
April 7, 2025
The U.S. Justice Department directed armed U.S. Marshals to deliver a warning letter to former pardon attorney Liz Oyer, who had been fired from her career position. The letter warned Oyer against testifying before congressional Democrats regarding her termination, which she stated occurred after she refused to restore the gun rights of actor Mel Gibson, a Trump supporter. The Marshals were called off only after Oyer confirmed receipt of the letter via email.
April 8, 2025
The Department of Justice filed a court document on April 8, 2025, stating that certain pardoned January 6 Capitol rioters, including Stacy Hager, should be reimbursed for restitution payments they paid for Capitol repairs. The DOJ argued that because some convictions were vacated by appeals courts following presidential pardons, there is no longer a legal basis for the government to retain those funds.
May 19, 2025
The U.S. Senate confirmed Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and father of Jared Kushner, as the U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco in a 51-45 vote. Kushner had previously served two years in prison for tax evasion, witness tampering, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, crimes for which he received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in 2020.
May 27, 2025
President Donald Trump issued a pardon for former Virginia sheriff Scott Jenkins, who had been convicted of bribery, conspiracy, and honest services fraud in a 'cash-for-badges' scheme. Jenkins had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for accepting $75,000 in bribes from businessmen in exchange for appointing them as auxiliary deputies. Trump described Jenkins as a victim of a 'weaponized' Justice Department, despite a jury conviction based on evidence including video of the bribes.
May 28, 2025
President Donald Trump granted full pardons to reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were serving federal prison sentences for bank fraud and tax evasion.
President Donald Trump stated on May 28, 2025, that he would consider pardoning individuals convicted in a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, describing the trial as a 'railroad job' and suggesting the defendants were simply saying 'stupid things' while drinking.
President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to former New York Republican Representative Michael Grimm, who had previously pleaded guilty to tax fraud and served eight months in prison for underreporting wages and revenue at a Manhattan restaurant.
President Trump commuted the federal prison sentence of Larry Hoover, the founder and former leader of the Gangster Disciples street gang, who had been serving six life sentences on charges including conspiracy, extortion, and drug trafficking.
President Donald Trump pardoned rapper NBA YoungBoy, also known as Kentrell Gaulden, who had been sentenced to just under two years in prison on federal gun-related charges and had pleaded guilty to his role in a prescription drug fraud ring.
President Donald Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon to former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, who had been convicted of federal bribery and attempted extortion charges.
May 29, 2025
President Donald Trump issued pardons for several Republican political allies, including former U.S. Representative Michael Grimm of New York, former Connecticut Governor John Rowland, and former Arkansas state senator Jeremy Hutchinson, all of whom had been convicted of felonies such as tax fraud and public corruption.
May 31, 2025
President Trump granted clemency to Larry Hoover, leader of the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples, and at least seven other individuals convicted on federal drug charges during the early months of his second term.
June 17, 2025
A review by House Judiciary Committee Democrats found that recent presidential pardons granted by President Trump have cost crime victims and taxpayers approximately $1.3 billion in restitution and payments. The report highlights that these pardons absolved convicted criminals, including corporate fraudsters and tax evaders, from paying for damages caused by their crimes, including those associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol.
July 25, 2025
President Donald Trump stated on July 25, 2025, that he is allowed to grant clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, after senior US justice department official Todd Blanche met with her in prison. This follows reports that Trump's name appears in justice department documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
October 17, 2025
President Donald Trump commuted the seven-year prison sentence of former Republican Representative George Santos, who had been serving time for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos had previously pleaded guilty to these crimes and was released from prison on October 17, 2025.
October 19, 2025
Christopher Moynihan, a man pardoned by President Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot, was arrested on a felony charge of making a terroristic threat after allegedly texting that he planned to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries before a scheduled appearance in New York City.
October 23, 2025
President Donald Trump issued a pardon for Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who had pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges and served four months in prison. The pardon follows reports that Zhao's company and Zhao himself had supported the Trump family's cryptocurrency ventures and that Binance had hired a lobbyist with ties to Donald Trump Jr.
October 28, 2025
The GOP-led House Oversight Committee released a 93-page report and a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, asserting that former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline rendered his use of the autopen for pardons and commutations void. The committee urged the Department of Justice to review the 4,245 executive actions and consider prosecution of Biden's aides, alleging a cover-up of his mental state.
The Department of Justice deleted a sentencing memo for Taylor Taranto, a pardoned January 6 rioter who was arrested in 2023 near former President Barack Obama's home with weapons. The original memo, which detailed Taranto's history and the danger he posed, was replaced by a softened version that removed references to his January 6 involvement and Donald Trump's posting of Obama's home address. Additionally, the two prosecutors who filed the original memo, Samuel White and Carlos Valdivia, were placed on leave.
November 2, 2025
During a 60 Minutes interview, Donald Trump admitted that he did not know who Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, was when he pardoned him. Zhao had previously pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had recently criticized President Joe Biden for allegedly not knowing who he was pardoning, declined to comment on Trump's admission, stating he did not know about the interview.
November 6, 2025
President Donald Trump granted full pardons to former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, both of whom had been convicted on federal corruption charges involving a fraudulent mailer program and the use of a fake name to funnel taxpayer money.
November 7, 2025
Alexander Smirnov, who pleaded guilty to fabricating a bribery story about Joe and Hunter Biden, was covertly released from prison after serving only a few months of a six-year sentence. Despite being listed as a prisoner at FCI Terminal Island, he was found to be missing from the facility, with prison officials later confirming he had been furloughed without a forwarding address provided.
President Donald Trump granted a pardon to Michael McMahon, a former New York police sergeant convicted of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government and interstate stalking as part of a campaign of transnational repression targeting a Chinese couple in New Jersey.
November 9, 2025
President Donald Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon for several allies, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Jeffrey Clark, as well as Republicans who acted as fake electors. The pardons apply to federal crimes, although none of the people named were charged with federal crimes related to the 2020 election.
November 10, 2025
Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of sex trafficking, is planning to apply for a commutation of her federal prison sentence, which is set to run through 2037. Documents obtained by the House Judiciary Committee indicate that the prison warden at the Bryan federal prison camp in Texas is assisting her with the application. Additionally, House Democrats allege that Maxwell is receiving preferential treatment, including customized meals and private meeting arrangements, following a meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
November 12, 2025
US President Donald Trump sent a formal letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog requesting that he "fully pardon" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently standing trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
President Donald Trump has granted pardons and clemency to political allies, donors, and figures associated with the 2020 election overturn efforts, including Rudy Giuliani and George Santos, while bypassing the traditional Department of Justice review process. These actions have reportedly wiped out over $1.3 billion in restitution and fines owed to victims and the public.
November 15, 2025
The Justice Department replaced online copies of pardons dated November 7, 2025, after it was discovered that several documents featured identical copies of President Donald Trump's signature, which forensic experts confirmed were duplicates. The agency attributed the error to a technical and staffing issue, while the administration maintained that the president had signed each document by hand.
The Justice Department replaced several pardon documents uploaded to its website that featured identical copies of President Donald Trump's signature, after forensic experts confirmed the signatures were identical. The administration claimed the identical signatures were the result of a 'technical error' and staffing issues, while critics and Democrats call for an investigation into whether an autopen was used.
November 25, 2025
During the annual White House turkey pardon event on November 25, 2025, President Donald Trump claimed that former President Joe Biden's turkey pardons from the previous year were 'totally invalid' due to the alleged use of an autopen. Trump stated that he was issuing a new pardon for the turkeys, Peach and Blossom, to ensure they were not processed for dinner.
November 26, 2025
President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of former private equity CEO David Gentile, who had been convicted of defrauding more than 10,000 investors in a scheme involving GPB Capital Holdings. Gentile had reported to prison on November 14, 2025, and was released on November 26, 2025, shortly after being sentenced to seven years in prison for wire and securities fraud.
November 30, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog calling for a full pardon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing the prosecution against him as a political and unjustified prosecution.
December 2, 2025
President Donald Trump issued a pardon for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had been convicted in a New York federal court in 2024 on charges of cocaine importation and weapons offenses, and was serving a 45-year prison sentence.
December 3, 2025
President Donald Trump formally pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been convicted in the US of drug trafficking offenses and sentenced to 45 years in federal prison. Trump described the prosecution as a 'Biden horrible witch hunt' while members of Congress from both parties criticized the move.
December 9, 2025
President Donald Trump sought to pardon Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk convicted of state crimes related to an election fraud scheme in Colorado. Despite Trump's efforts and pressure on the state to release her, a Colorado appeals court ruled that the presidential pardon power does not extend to state offenses, rejecting the attempt to use a federal pardon to overturn a state conviction.
February 11, 2026
Andrew Paul Johnson, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the 2021 Capitol riot, was convicted in Florida of multiple charges of child molestation and lewd and lascivious exhibition. According to court documents, Johnson attempted to bribe a victim with the promise of a $10 million payout he claimed he would receive as restitution for Jan. 6 defendants.
Andrew Paul Johnson, a man pardoned by President Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot, was convicted in Florida of multiple charges including molesting children under 12 and 16. According to police reports, Johnson attempted to bribe a victim with the promise of money he claimed he would receive as restitution from the Trump administration for being a January 6 defendant.
March 3, 2026
Bryan Betancur, a self-professed white supremacist and January 6 Capitol riot participant who was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2025, was arrested on March 3, 2026, for assault and battery after filming himself touching women's hair without their consent on a Metro train.
March 5, 2026
Andrew Paul Johnson, a former January 6 Capitol rioter who received a full pardon from President Donald Trump in January 2025, was sentenced to life in prison on March 5, 2026, for child molestation and related crimes in Florida.
March 28, 2026
Several individuals pardoned by President Trump for their roles in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, alleging that U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia used excessive force, including the use of chemical irritants and billy clubs, against them.
May 15, 2026
Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, reducing her sentence from eight and a half years to approximately four and a half years. Peters had been convicted of four felonies and three misdemeanors related to a 2021 breach of voting systems in Mesa County, where she allowed unauthorized individuals to access sensitive election equipment and data.
This thread is assembled from records in The Zone, the site’s full searchable archive. Spot an error or a missing entry? Each record links to its source for verification.