US President Donald Trump pardoned his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, as part of a flurry of last-minute clemency actions.
Trump is expected to offer pardons and commutations to 100 others in the hours before he leaves office at noon Wednesday, sources said.
The list is expected to include names unfamiliar to the American public — regular people who have spent years languishing in prison — as well as politically connected friends and allies like those he's pardoned in the past.
Bannon had been charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfil 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. Bannon did not respond to questions Tuesday.
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Trump has already pardoned a slew 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.
