NBC News: “Trump pardons former Tennessee House speaker and his aide, who were convicted on federal corruption charges”

President Trump pardoned former Speaker of the Tennessee House, Glen Casada, who was sentenced in September to 36 months in prison on corruption charges.

This brings the total to 18 politicians convicted of corruption charges who have now been pardoned or had their sentences commuted by Trump.

These pardons of former federal and state politicians aren’t just shocking—they’re a brazen attack on the rule of law. The Trump administration is normalizing corruption, sending a message that elected officials can break the law with impunity. That’s a huge problem for our democracy and public trust in government.

CREW is committed to holding elected officials accountable and defending the integrity of our government—but we can’t do it alone. Chip in today to join the fight for accountability →

During Trump’s first and second terms, his pardons and commutations have allowed nine former politicians to evade roughly 57 and a half years of prison time, covering guilty pleas or convictions for 148 counts of corruption-related crimes.

While Trump is not the first to grant clemency to corrupt elected officials, he outdid past presidents in corruption-related political pardons even by the end of his first term.

And so far in his second term, he’s already pardoned eight politicians or commuted their sentences for corruption-related crimes.

This includes his recent commutation of former Representative George Santos, who was sentenced to seven years for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. In October, Trump commuted his sentence after serving less than three months in prison.

With these actions, Trump has shown his indifference to the harm corrupt politicians have caused the American public—and has even used the presidency to benefit his allies.

For example, he pardoned one of the first members of Congress to endorse his first presidential run, former Representative Duncan Hunter, who was sentenced to 11 months in prison after being convicted of misusing more than $150,000 of campaign funds for personal benefit.

By pardoning elected officials or commuting their sentences, Trump is sending a clear message that he does not view government corruption as a problem, despite the damage it does to public trust and the cost to taxpayers.

CREW is working to hold the president and all of our elected officials accountable for their actions and restore trust in our government. If that’s a fight you believe in, please donate today to help us keep up this work →

Thank you,