Trump pardons gather pace in US

Outrage deepens over Blackwater foursome as more allies rewarded

WASHINGTON－US President Donald Trump issued new pardons on Wednesday for allies including the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner and two confidants caught up in the probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

The pardons added to a long list granted in Trump's waning days in office and sparked fresh outrage.

Among those pardoned were Charles Kushner, who pleaded guilty to charges including tax evasion and witness tampering in 2004, as well as former campaign manager Paul Manafort and longtime adviser Roger Stone.

The trio were among 26 people pardoned and three who had all or part of their sentences commuted by Trump on Wednesday.

They came only a day after Trump pardoned 15 people and commuted sentences for five, including corrupt Republican congressmen as well as four Blackwater security guards convicted of killing 14 civilians in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad.

Trump's pardon of Manafort, who was at the heart of an investigation by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into allegations of Russian interference in the election four years ago, triggered fury that Trump was trying to erase the probe he has always described as a "witch hunt". Moscow denies any claims of interference.

Democratic congressman Adam Schiff, who heads the intelligence committee of the House of Representatives, said in a tweet that "during the Mueller investigation, Trump's lawyer floated a pardon to Manafort. Manafort withdrew his cooperation with prosecutors, lied, was convicted and then Trump praised him for not 'ratting'.Trump's pardon now completes the corrupt scheme".

Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who has publicly spoken out against Trump, said simply: "This is rotten to the core."

Earlier in the day, Iraqis had expressed outrage and sadness after Trump delivered pardons for the four Blackwater security contractors who were convicted of murder and manslaughter six years ago for the Nisur Square massacre.

UN 'deeply concerned'

The four, all former US servicemen, opened fire unprovoked on the crowded square in 2007, leaving at least 14 civilians dead－though Iraqi authorities put the toll as high as 17－while wounding dozens more and deeply souring US-Iraqi relations.

The United Nations' human rights office on Wednesday said it is deeply concerned by the presidential pardons for the four security guards.

Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement: "Pardoning them contributes to impunity and has the effect of emboldening others to commit such crimes in the future."

Fares Saadi, an Iraqi police officer who led the investigations into the shootings at Nisur Square, said: "I knew we'd never get justice."

Retired US general Mark Hertling, who served in Iraq, called the Blackwater pardons "egregious and disgusting".

Trump had also extended pardons to two more minor figures in the 2016 Russia election meddling investigation, and granted clemency to three former Republican lawmakers that a watchdog group called "three of the most corrupt members of Congress in recent history".

All five have been vocal supporters of Trump.

Pardons are common in the final stretch of a president's tenure, the recipients largely dependent on the individual whims of the nation's chief executive.

Trump throughout his administration has shucked aside the conventions of the Barack Obama administration, when pardons were largely reserved for drug offenders not known to the general public, and instead bestowed clemency on high-profile contacts and associates who were key figures in an investigation that directly concerned him.

Trump is believed to be weighing other pardons including for members of his family, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and potentially himself, to protect from potential litigation after he steps down on Jan 20, according to major media outlets.

Agencies - Xinhua