Donald Trump has pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, as part of a flurry of action granting clemency to nearly 150 people.
In the last few hours of his tumultuous presidency, the departing Mr Trump announced pardons and commutations for 143 people, after midnight on Wednesday.
It comes on the same day that he is set to be replaced in the White House by President-elect Joe Biden.
The controversial practice of pardoning is not new but Mr Trump’s use of the privilege is likely to raise eyebrows. He did not pardon himself or the Tiger King TV star Joe Exotic, as rumours had suggested he might.
Bannon had been charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfil Mr Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border.
Instead, he allegedly diverted over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.
A statement from the White House said: ‘Prosecutors pursued Mr Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project.
‘Mr Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen.’
Mr Trump has already pardoned a series of long-time associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law; his long-time friend and adviser Roger Stone; and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
But the wave of pardonings did not stretch to other members of Mr Trump’s family or his lawyer Rudy Giuliana, who Mr Trump is now accused of not paying.
Mr Giuliani, who has been at the forefront of unsuccessful efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, has not been charged with a crime, but investigators have been probing his activities in Ukraine.
White House officials had argued that the President should not pardon himself or his family because it might look like they are guilty of crimes, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Some had advised Mr Trump against pardoning Bannon, too. The two men had rekindled their relationship in recent times, with Mr Trump seeking support for his unproven claims of voter fraud, an official familiar with the situation said.
He also pardoned Elliott Broidy, a former top fundraiser for the campaign who pleaded guilty last year to violating foreign lobbying laws, and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges, a senior administration official said.
The outgoing President leaves office on Wednesday, when Joe Biden is sworn in amid huge concerns about more violence after Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol on January 6.
Mr Trump, who has long made baseless claims about election fraud, is not expected to attend the inauguration, in a historic break from tradition.
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MORE : Tiger King’s Joe Exotic says ‘God will be proud’ if Donald Trump pardons him