FAMILY BUSINESS

Trump Has Put Jared Kushner in Charge of Pardons, Says Report

The president’s son-in-law is now reportedly heading up a group that recommends and vets candidates for pardons.

Jared Kushner is leading a team of Trump advisers put together by the White House to recommend and vet candidates for future pardons, according to The Washington Post. The report comes days after President Donald Trump pardoned a group of 11 people, including several convicted felons who are either Fox News regulars or have been championed by the right-wing cable channel, and one whose family has donated huge sums of money to his re-election campaign. The Post reports the group is made up of a handful of Trump allies who have been meeting since late last year to discuss a new pardon system in the White House. Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, has reportedly advocated for the White House wrestling control of the clemency process away from the Justice Department. Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who served on Trump’s impeachment-defense and campaign teams, is also reportedly on board. One official told the newspaper that more pardons are likely before the election, saying that Trump enjoys handing them out.