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Trump Pardons Former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced
Published: 2026/01/17 00:51:25
President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to Wanda Vázquez Garced, the former governor of puerto Rico, the White House confirmed to United States media.The pardon, which was first reported by CBS News on Friday, is linked by Trump governance officials to the president’s claims of politically motivated legal challenges, frequently enough referred to as “lawfare.”
Background of the Case
Vázquez Garced was arrested in 2022 adn accused by the U.S. Justice Department of corruption during her time in office. The charges stemmed from allegations that she promised to fire a financial institutions commissioner in exchange for a campaign contribution. Specifically, prosecutors alleged that between December 2019 and June 2020, Vázquez agreed to consider the resignation of the commissioner in return for financial support for her 2020 gubernatorial election campaign. She ultimately replaced the commissioner with an associate of Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan financier.
herrera Velutini and Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent, were also implicated in the scheme, allegedly contributing $300,000 to political consultants to support Vázquez’s campaign. Vázquez initially denied wrongdoing but later reached a plea deal in August.
Trump’s Pattern of Pardons
This pardon is part of a broader pattern of clemency granted by Trump since returning to office. He has pardoned numerous right-wing officials and allies, including former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of federal drug charges, and individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. With over 1,700 pardons and acts of clemency granted in the past year, Trump is on track to exceed the number granted by his predecessor, Joe Biden, who issued 4,245 acts of clemency during his four-year term – the most of any modern president. The U.S
