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Official clemency records
2017–2021 · First administration · Accountability

First-term pardons of political allies

Editorial record through October 30, 2026. Later developments are not reflected here.

Symbolic editorial illustration about political pardons, not a documentary photograph.
Original symbolic editorial illustration; not a documentary photograph.

Remember when?

Trump granted clemency to a number of political associates, including Michael Flynn, Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, after investigations and convictions or pleas connected to his political circle.

Why it matters

Using a constitutionally broad pardon power for close associates raises questions about conflicts of interest and incentives for witness cooperation.

The relevant distinction is between a president’s undisputed constitutional authority to grant clemency and the separate question of whether its use creates an appearance of preferential treatment. The public record supports scrutiny of the relationships and timing; it does not by itself prove an exchange of favors.

Administration response and important qualifications

The Constitution grants the president broad but constitutionally bounded authority over federal clemency. Trump argued particular defendants had been treated unfairly; lawful clemency is not automatically corrupt.

Specific clemency decisions

During his first term, Trump commuted the sentence of Roger Stone and later pardoned him; he also granted clemency to Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, each of whom had faced federal proceedings linked to investigations involving the president or his campaign. The timing and relationships prompted questions about whether the pardon power was being used to reward loyalty or frustrate accountability.

These first-term cases are distinct from the broad January 6 clemency issued in 2025.

Start with the evidence

  1. Justice Department: presidential clemency recipients ↗

    Official commutations and pardons; moral interpretation separate from constitutional authority.

  2. Justice Department: first-term Trump pardons and recipients ↗

What the official clemency record shows

The Justice Department’s list of first-term pardons records Michael Flynn’s November 25, 2020 pardon and the December 23, 2020 pardons of Roger Stone and Paul Manafort. These entries offer a way to check the actual dates and underlying federal offenses rather than relying on generalized descriptions of political connections.