Trump pardons reality TV stars accused of tax fraud, politicians, a union leader, a rapper among many
The Hindu
President Trump pardons high-profile figures, including rapper NBA YoungBoy, with influence from Alice Marie Johnson, his pardon czar.
President Donald Trump issued a series of pardons on Wednesday (May 28, 2025), awarding them to a former New York congressman, a Connecticut governor, a rapper known as “NBA YoungBoy”, a labour union leader and a onetime Army officer who flaunted safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His actions mixed Mr Trump’s willingness to pardon high-profile Republicans and other supporters, donors and friends with the influence of Alice Marie Johnson, whom Mr Trump recently named his pardon czar after he offered a pardon to her in 2020.
Ms Johnson was convicted in 1996 on eight criminal counts related to a Memphis-based cocaine trafficking operation. Mr Trump commuted her life sentence in 2018 at the urging of celebrity Kim Kardashian West, allowing for Ms Johnson’s early release.
Ms Johnson then served as the featured speaker on the final night of the 2020 Republican National Convention, and Mr Trump subsequently pardoned her before more recently naming her as his point person for pardons.
Among those receiving the latest round of Mr Trump pardons was Louisiana rap artist NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden and whose stage moniker stands for “Never Broke Again”.
In 2024, he was sentenced to just under two years in prison on gun-related charges after he acknowledged having possessed weapons despite being a convicted felon. Mr Gaulden also pleaded guilty to his role in a prescription drug fraud ring in Utah.
EXPLAINED | What are the controversies around pardoning power?
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