WASHINGTON D.C. (KEYT) – On Thursday, a bicameral Congressional investigation was launched into 17 people who have received pardons or commutations from the Trump Administration under circumstances that warranted further investigation.

The oversight effort was launched by California Representatives Dave Min of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Representative Raul Ruiz, as well as Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution.

"Executive clemency has historically been understood as an act of grace exercised in the interest of justice and the public welfare, but it cannot become a tool for political favoritism, corruption, or pay-to-play dealings," read a joint statement from the members of Congress Thursday. "At a moment when Americans are already losing faith in our institutions, Congress has a responsibility to conduct oversight and ensure that no one, including a sitting President, is above accountability."

Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution states, "[The President of the United States]...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."

That power is limited to violations of federal law and can not be applied to state offenses or civil liability opened each of the letters issued to people who have been extended pardons or commutations by the Trump Administration Thursday.

While the power does not remove a conviction, it does absolve the involved person of all still-outstanding restitution payments and, according to the California Governor's Office, during President Trump's first term alone, clemency actions issued by the administration totaled almost $2 billion in terminated, court-ordered payments.

For comparison, President Biden granted 80 people pardons and those grantees had about $688,000 in financial penalties ordered by the courts erased.

The Congressional inquiry requested each of the involved people provide information about the process of their clemency requests, who was involved in orchestrating the actions, and if any payments or favors were involved in ensuring the pardons and commutations.

Each of the 17 letters ended with a demand for responses regarding the circumstances of each recipient's pardon or commutation by May 22 of this year.

Trevor Milton

Milton was convicted of securities fraud and wire fraud in December of 2023.

"Trevor Milton lied to investors again and again — on social media, on television, on podcasts, and in print," stated U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in December of 2023. "But today's sentence should be a warning to start-up founders and corporate executives everywhere — 'fake it till you make it' is not an excuse for fraud, and if you mislead your investors, you will pay a stiff price."

The court ordered the founder and former CEO of Nikola Corporation, an electric- and hydrogen-powered vehicle and energy company, to pay a $1 million f

Por Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español

El Gobierno de Estados Unidos dio este jueves un paso más para incrementar la presión que ejerce sobre Cuba al imponer nuevas sanciones contra el Grupo de Administración Empresarial (GAESA), un consorcio de mando militar que supervisa empresas como hoteles, marinas y otros negocios.

La medida se anunció en un comunicado del secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, y es una continuación del decreto que el presidente Donald Trump publicó el viernes para sancionar, entre otros, a personas y entidades de los sectores energético, minero, de seguridad y defensa de Cuba o a quienes brinden apoyo material a la isla, bajo el argumento de que esta representa una amenaza para Estados Unidos. Cuba niega estos señalamientos.

Rubio dijo que, con base en ese decreto, Estados Unidos decidió imponer sanciones a GAESA; a su presidenta ejecutiva, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, y a MNSA, una empresa conformada por La Compañía General de Níquel, propiedad del Estado cubano, y por la canadiense Sherritt International Corporation.

“Estas sanciones son parte de la amplia campaña del Gobierno de Trump para enfrentar la presión de las amenazas a la seguridad nacional que representa el régimen comunista de Cuba y para hacer que ese régimen y quienes le proveen apoyo financiero y material rindan cuentas”, señaló Rubio.

“A solo 90 millas de territorio estadounidense, el régimen cubano ha llevado a la isla a la ruina y la ha subastado para ser una plataforma para la inteligencia extranjera y para operaciones militares y terroristas. Designaciones adicionales podrían ocurrir en los próximos días y semanas”, agregó.

Entre otras acciones, las sanciones implican el congelamiento de los bienes e intereses de las personas y entidades designadas que se encuentren en Estados Unidos, así como que los ciudadanos estadounidenses tendrán prohibido realizar operaciones con ellas.

Bruno Rodríguez, canciller de Cuba, se refirió al tema en su cuenta de X, donde rechazó las medidas de Estados Unidos y dijo que estas “despejan todas las dudas sobre la falsa naturaleza de sus pretextos para atacar a nuestro país”.

“Sus acciones se basan en la certeza de que puede imponer su voluntad al resto de los gobiernos del mundo, cuyos ciudadanos y personas de negocios están siendo amenazados por la coacción ilegítima ejercida por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos”, señaló.

CNN contactó a la Cancillería de Cuba para pedir comentarios adicionales sobre las sanciones contra GAESA y su presidenta ejecutiva. También se comunicó con Sherritt International Corporation y está en espera de respuesta.

Estados Unidos mantiene un embargo económico sobre Cuba desde la década de 1960 y desde principios de año, luego de su operativo militar para capturar al presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro —viejo aliado de La Habana—, ha incrementado su presión sobre la isla.

A finales de enero, Trump amenazó con imponer aranceles adicionales a los países que directa o indirectamente brinden petróleo a Cuba, lo que ocasionó que algunos aliados, como México, suspendieran sus envíos. A su vez, esto ha originado una crisis energética en Cuba, que apenas aminoró con la llegada de 100.000 barriles de crudo que llegaron en marzo procedentes de Rusia.

En varias ocasiones a lo largo del año, Trump ha insistido con que Read more

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Welcome to 5 Things PM! When you fire off a DM to your friends on TikTok or Instagram it makes you feel connected, right? Not so fast. Using social media could actually make you lonelier.

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3⃣ ‘Rich to richer’

New York has Fifth Avenue, and Paris boasts the Champs-Élysées. Now wealthy Latin Americans are turning this exclusive neighborhood into the place to see and be seen — and more importantly, to shop.

4⃣ Animal behavior

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5⃣ Love at 30,000 feet

When Angela Buckner decided to fly halfway across the country for a blind date, she viewed the trip as a fun adventure. She definitely didn’t expect to fall for her flight attendant.

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