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