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Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon exits the Manhattan Federal Court on August 20, 2020 in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
'Even Nixon Didn't Pardon His Cronies on the Way Out': Trump Grants Clemency to Bannon on Final Day of Presidency
"Amazingly, in his final 24 hours in office, Donald Trump found one more way to fail to live up to the ethical standard of Richard Nixon."
Jan 19, 2021
In one of the final acts of his destructive and corrupt presidency, Donald Trump early Wednesday pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, a pair of scandal-plagued former Republican lawmakers, disgraced GOP fundraiser and megadonor Elliott Broidy, and other white-collar criminals with political connections.
"Even Nixon didn't pardon his cronies on the way out," Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement. "Amazingly, in his final 24 hours in office, Donald Trump found one more way to fail to live up to the ethical standard of Richard Nixon."
The outgoing president's latest list of pardons and commutations also included a number of nonviolent drug offenders, but Trump has largely used his clemency power to assist his political allies--when he has used it at all. According to the Pew Research Center, Trump has wielded his pardon authority less than any other president in modern U.S. history.
"They all had something Trump wanted or benefited him in some kind of way," Nichole Forde, a 40-year-old woman serving a 27-year sentence for nonviolent drug crimes, told the Washington Post in an email from federal prison in Pekin, Illinois. "I am not part of the Trump elite."
In a statement accompanying the list of people receiving clemency from Trump on his way out the door, the White House characterized Bannon, the former executive chairman of far-right outlet Breitbart News, as "an important leader in the conservative movement" who is "known for his political acumen."
Last August, Bannon was arrested and charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of people, many of them Trump supporters, who donated to an online anti-immigrant crowdfunding campaign called "We Build the Wall."
\u201cTrump pardoning a guy charged with stealing from Trump supporters is the ultimate grift\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1611119271
More than a dozen other individuals included in Trump's last-minute flurry of pardons and commutations were convicted of some kind of fraud. As the Post reported, one commutation "went to Sholam Weiss, 66, who was serving an 835-year prison sentence stemming from his 2000 conviction in Florida for racketeering, wire fraud, and money fraud related to his role in the collapse of the National Heritage Life Insurance Company."
"Weiss' sentence was believed to be the longest ever given to a defendant convicted of white-collar crime," the Post noted.
Other names on the list include former Republican Rep. Duke Cunningham of California--who served eight years in prison for tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, and other charges--and Salomon Melgen, who in 2017 was convicted of a total of 67 crimes for his role in a scheme to steal $73 million from Medicare by exploiting elderly patients.
Trump granted a conditional pardon to Cunningham and commuted Melgen's 17-year sentence.
"I guess it helps to have friends in high places," remarked Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis.
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In one of the final acts of his destructive and corrupt presidency, Donald Trump early Wednesday pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, a pair of scandal-plagued former Republican lawmakers, disgraced GOP fundraiser and megadonor Elliott Broidy, and other white-collar criminals with political connections.
"Even Nixon didn't pardon his cronies on the way out," Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement. "Amazingly, in his final 24 hours in office, Donald Trump found one more way to fail to live up to the ethical standard of Richard Nixon."
The outgoing president's latest list of pardons and commutations also included a number of nonviolent drug offenders, but Trump has largely used his clemency power to assist his political allies--when he has used it at all. According to the Pew Research Center, Trump has wielded his pardon authority less than any other president in modern U.S. history.
"They all had something Trump wanted or benefited him in some kind of way," Nichole Forde, a 40-year-old woman serving a 27-year sentence for nonviolent drug crimes, told the Washington Post in an email from federal prison in Pekin, Illinois. "I am not part of the Trump elite."
In a statement accompanying the list of people receiving clemency from Trump on his way out the door, the White House characterized Bannon, the former executive chairman of far-right outlet Breitbart News, as "an important leader in the conservative movement" who is "known for his political acumen."
Last August, Bannon was arrested and charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of people, many of them Trump supporters, who donated to an online anti-immigrant crowdfunding campaign called "We Build the Wall."
\u201cTrump pardoning a guy charged with stealing from Trump supporters is the ultimate grift\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1611119271
More than a dozen other individuals included in Trump's last-minute flurry of pardons and commutations were convicted of some kind of fraud. As the Post reported, one commutation "went to Sholam Weiss, 66, who was serving an 835-year prison sentence stemming from his 2000 conviction in Florida for racketeering, wire fraud, and money fraud related to his role in the collapse of the National Heritage Life Insurance Company."
"Weiss' sentence was believed to be the longest ever given to a defendant convicted of white-collar crime," the Post noted.
Other names on the list include former Republican Rep. Duke Cunningham of California--who served eight years in prison for tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, and other charges--and Salomon Melgen, who in 2017 was convicted of a total of 67 crimes for his role in a scheme to steal $73 million from Medicare by exploiting elderly patients.
Trump granted a conditional pardon to Cunningham and commuted Melgen's 17-year sentence.
"I guess it helps to have friends in high places," remarked Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis.
In one of the final acts of his destructive and corrupt presidency, Donald Trump early Wednesday pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, a pair of scandal-plagued former Republican lawmakers, disgraced GOP fundraiser and megadonor Elliott Broidy, and other white-collar criminals with political connections.
"Even Nixon didn't pardon his cronies on the way out," Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement. "Amazingly, in his final 24 hours in office, Donald Trump found one more way to fail to live up to the ethical standard of Richard Nixon."
The outgoing president's latest list of pardons and commutations also included a number of nonviolent drug offenders, but Trump has largely used his clemency power to assist his political allies--when he has used it at all. According to the Pew Research Center, Trump has wielded his pardon authority less than any other president in modern U.S. history.
"They all had something Trump wanted or benefited him in some kind of way," Nichole Forde, a 40-year-old woman serving a 27-year sentence for nonviolent drug crimes, told the Washington Post in an email from federal prison in Pekin, Illinois. "I am not part of the Trump elite."
In a statement accompanying the list of people receiving clemency from Trump on his way out the door, the White House characterized Bannon, the former executive chairman of far-right outlet Breitbart News, as "an important leader in the conservative movement" who is "known for his political acumen."
Last August, Bannon was arrested and charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of people, many of them Trump supporters, who donated to an online anti-immigrant crowdfunding campaign called "We Build the Wall."
\u201cTrump pardoning a guy charged with stealing from Trump supporters is the ultimate grift\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1611119271
More than a dozen other individuals included in Trump's last-minute flurry of pardons and commutations were convicted of some kind of fraud. As the Post reported, one commutation "went to Sholam Weiss, 66, who was serving an 835-year prison sentence stemming from his 2000 conviction in Florida for racketeering, wire fraud, and money fraud related to his role in the collapse of the National Heritage Life Insurance Company."
"Weiss' sentence was believed to be the longest ever given to a defendant convicted of white-collar crime," the Post noted.
Other names on the list include former Republican Rep. Duke Cunningham of California--who served eight years in prison for tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, and other charges--and Salomon Melgen, who in 2017 was convicted of a total of 67 crimes for his role in a scheme to steal $73 million from Medicare by exploiting elderly patients.
Trump granted a conditional pardon to Cunningham and commuted Melgen's 17-year sentence.
"I guess it helps to have friends in high places," remarked Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis.
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LATEST NEWS
Residents Revolt as 'Free DC' Protests Target Trump's National Guard Deployment
"We've got the FBI patrolling the streets." said one protester. "We've got National Guard set up as a show of force. What's scarier is if we allow this."
Aug 17, 2025
Residents of Washington, DC over the weekend demonstrated against US President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard in their city.
As reported by NBC Washington, demonstrators gathered on Saturday at DuPont Circle and then marched to the White House to direct their anger at Trump for sending the National Guard to Washington DC, and for his efforts to take over the Metropolitan Police Department.
In an interview with NBC Washington, one protester said that it was important for the administration to see that residents weren't intimidated by the presence of military personnel roaming their streets.
"I know a lot of people are scared," the protester said. "We've got the FBI patrolling the streets. We've got National Guard set up as a show of force. What's scarier is if we allow this."
Saturday protests against the presence of the National Guard are expected to be a weekly occurrence, organizers told NBC Washington.
Hours after the march to the White House, other demonstrators began to gather at Union Station to protest the presence of the National Guard units there. Audio obtained by freelance journalist Andrew Leyden reveals that the National Guard decided to move their forces out of the area in reaction to what dispatchers called "growing demonstrations."
Even residents who didn't take part in formal demonstrations over the weekend managed to express their displeasure with the National Guard patrolling the city. According to The Washington Post, locals who spent a night on the town in the U Street neighborhood on Friday night made their unhappiness with law enforcement in the city very well known.
"At the sight of local and federal law enforcement throughout the night, people pooled on the sidewalk—watching, filming, booing," wrote the Post. "Such interactions played out again and again as the night drew on. Onlookers heckled the police as they did their job and applauded as officers left."
Trump last week ordered the National Guard into Washington, DC and tried to take control the Metropolitan Police, purportedly in order to reduce crime in the city. Statistics released earlier this year, however, showed a significant drop in crime in the nation's capital.
Marco Rubio Repeatedly Put on the Spot for Trump's Failure to Secure Ukraine Cease-Fire Deal
"Why not impose more sanctions on [Russia] and force them to agree to a cease-fire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?" asked NBC's Kristen Welker.
Aug 17, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday was repeatedly put on the spot over the failure of US President Donald Trump to secure a cease-fire deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio appeared on news programs across all major networks on Sunday morning and he was asked on all of them about Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin ending without any kind of agreement to end the conflict with Ukraine, which has now lasted for more than three years.
During an interview on ABC's "This Week," Rubio was grilled by Martha Raddatz about the purported "progress" being made toward bringing the war to a close. She also zeroed in on Trump's own statements saying that he wanted to see Russia agree to a cease-fire by the end of last week's summit.
"The president went in to that meeting saying he wanted a ceasefire, and there would be consequences if they didn't agree on a ceasefire in that meeting, and they didn't agree to a ceasefire," she said. "So where are the consequences?"
"That's not the aim of this," Rubio replied. "First of all..."
"The president said that was the aim!" Raddatz interjected.
"Yeah, but you're not going to reach a cease-fire or a peace agreement in a meeting in which only one side is represented," Rubio replied. "That's why it's important to bring both leaders together, that's the goal here."
RADDATZ: The president went in to that meeting saying he wanted a ceasefire and there would be consequences if they didn't agree on a ceasefire in that meeting, and they didn't agree to a ceasefire. So where are the consequences?
RUBIO: That's not the aim
RADDATZ: The president… pic.twitter.com/fuO9q1Y5ze
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 17, 2025
Rubio also made an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," where host Margaret Brennan similarly pressed him about the expectations Trump had set going into the summit.
"The president told those European leaders last week he wanted a ceasefire," she pointed out. "He went on television and said he would walk out of the meeting if Putin didn't agree to one, he said there would be severe consequences if he didn't agree to one. He said he'd walk out in two minutes—he spent three hours talking to Vladimir Putin and he did not get one. So there's mixed messages here."
"Our goal is not to stage some production for the world to say, 'Oh, how dramatic, he walked out,'" Rubio shot back. "Our goal is to have a peace agreement to end this war, OK? And obviously we felt, and I agreed, that there was enough progress, not a lot of progress, but enough progress made in those talks to allow us to move to the next phase."
Rubio then insisted that now was not the time to hit Russia with new sanctions, despite Trump's recent threats to do so, because it would end talks all together.
Brennan: The president told those European leaders last week he wanted a ceasefire. He went on television and said he would walk out of the meeting if Putin didn't agree to one, he said there would be severe consequences if he didn’t agree to one. He spent three hours talking to… pic.twitter.com/2WtuDH5Oii
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 17, 2025
During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," host Kristen Welker asked Rubio about the "severe consequences" Trump had promised for Russia if it did not agree to a cease-fire.
"Why not impose more sanctions on [Russia] and force them to agree to a cease-fire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?" Welker asked.
"Well, first, that's something that I think a lot of people go around saying that I don't necessarily think is true," he replied. "I don't think new sanctions on Russia are going to force them to accept a cease-fire. They are already under severe sanctions... you can argue that could be a consequence of refusing to agree to a cease-fire or the end of hostilities."
He went on to say that he hoped the US would not be forced to put more sanctions on Russia "because that means peace talks failed."
WELKER: Why not impose more sanctions on Russia and force them to agree to a ceasefire, instead of accepting that Putin won't agree to one?
RUBIO: Well, I think that's something people go around saying that I don't necessarily think is true. I don't think new sanctions on Russia… pic.twitter.com/GoIucsrDmA
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 17, 2025
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump said that he could end the war between Russian and Ukraine within the span of a single day. In the seven months since his inauguration, the war has only gotten more intense as Russia has stepped up its daily attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Masked Border Protection Agents Open Fire on Family's Truck After Smashing Its Windows
"I had to protect my life and my family... my truck was shot three times," said the vehicle's driver.
Aug 17, 2025
A family in San Bernardino, California is in shock after masked federal agents opened fire on their truck.
As NBC Los Angeles reported, Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agents on Saturday morning surrounded the family's truck and demanded that its passengers exit the vehicle.
A video of the incident filmed from inside the truck showed the passengers asked the agents to provide identification, which they declined to do.
An agent was then heard demanding that the father, who had been driving the truck, get out of the vehicle. Seconds later, the agent started smashing the car's windows in an attempt to get inside the vehicle.
The father then hit the gas to try to escape, after which several shots could be heard as agents opened fire. Local news station KTLA reported that, after the father successfully fled the scene, he called local police and asked for help because "masked men" had opened fire on his truck.
Looks like, for the first time I'm aware of, masked agents opened fire today, in San Bernardino. Sources posted below: pic.twitter.com/eE1GMglECg
— Eric Levai (@ericlevai) August 17, 2025
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the agents' actions in a statement to NBC Los Angeles.
"In the course of the incident the suspect drove his car at the officers and struck two CBP officers with his vehicle," they said. "Because of the subjects forcing a CBP officer to discharge his firearm in self-defense."
But the father, who only wished to be identified as "Francisco," pointed out that the agents refused to identify themselves and presented no warrants to justify the search of his truck.
"I had to protect my life and my family," he explained to NBC Los Angeles. "My truck was shot three times."
His son-in-law, who only wished to be identified as "Martin," was similarly critical of the agents' actions.
"Its just upsetting that it happened to us," he said. "I am glad my brother is okay, Pop is okay, but it's just not cool that [immigration enforcement officials are] able to do something like that."
According to KTLA, federal agents surrounded the family's house later that afternoon and demanded that the father come out so that he could be arrested. He refused, and agents eventually departed from the neighborhood without detaining him.
Local advocacy group Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice said on its Instagram page that it was "mobilizing to provide legal support" for the family.
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