Who were the recipients of Donald Trump's most high-profile pardons?
Executive summary
Donald Trump’s highest-profile clemency moves span a mix of well-known political allies, convicted figures from the Russia investigation, white‑collar businessmen and mass pardons tied to January 6, with critics arguing the pattern favors friends and donors while supporters frame it as correcting injustices [1][2][3]. Major singular names include Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Steve Bannon, while sweeping actions included pardons for roughly 1,500 people connected to the January 6 attack and a wave of white‑collar and political‑corruption beneficiaries [1][2][4].
1. High‑profile Russia‑investigation beneficiaries—clemency for central figures
Among the clearest headline‑grabbers were pardons and commutations tied to the Mueller probe and related investigations: Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, Alex van der Zwaan and Roger Stone were all granted clemency, and Paul Manafort was similarly relieved, actions that erased or reduced sentences for figures central to probes of 2016 election interference [1].
2. Political advisers and campaign figures—Bannon, Giuliani, Powell, Meadows
Trump also pardoned close political operatives whose prosecutions were entwined with his political orbit: Steve Bannon was included among a large batch of late‑term clemencies in 2021, and in his second term he issued pardons for prominent pro‑Trump lawyers and staff such as Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and former chief of staff Mark Meadows, moves that critics say reward loyalism tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election [5][6].
3. Mass pardons tied to January 6—a sweeping and controversial action
One of the most consequential acts was a mass pardon proclamation covering roughly 1,500 people charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack and related post‑2020 election conduct, an unprecedentedly broad use of clemency that drew sharp rebukes from judges, prosecutors and law‑enforcement groups while supporters argued it addressed perceived prosecutorial overreach [2][7].
4. White‑collar, business and celebrity clemencies—Milken, Kushner, Ulbricht and others
The president’s list also included high‑visibility figures from finance and business: Michael Milken and Bernard Kerik were among those spared in 2020, Charles Kushner received clemency, and in 2025 Ross Ulbricht, founder of the Silk Road marketplace, was granted a full pardon—examples that underline a pattern of clemency for wealthy or notorious defendants [1][2].
5. Pardons for convicted politicians and corruption cases—patterns and totals
Advocacy groups documented a steady stream of pardons for elected officials convicted of corruption: one watchdog counted about 17 corrupt politicians granted clemency across federal and state cases, a tally critics use to argue the pardons favored political allies or figures with partisan utility [8].
6. Donor‑linked and local corruption clemencies—Puerto Rico and donor connections
Several pardons raised questions about donor influence and transactional ties, including the pardon of former Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vázquez Garced and clemency connected to cases involving a major donor to Trump’s political operation, episodes that sparked reporting about potential quid pro quo dynamics and prompted scrutiny of whether pardons were effectively being solicited [9][10].
7. Thematic trends and legal fallout—fraud, corruption and institutional concern
Observers and outlets identify a shift toward pardoning white‑collar offenses—money laundering, fraud and bank crimes—and argue Trump’s clemency use departs from historical norms in its political focus and timing; others note that in total his named individual pardons amount to hundreds across both terms but that mass actions amplify the public controversy [3][11]. The Department of Justice’s pardon office was reshaped during this period, and federal judges and watchdogs publicly criticized the breadth and beneficiaries of these grants, framing the debate over clemency as both legal and political [7][6].