Trump Pardons Lil Wayne in Last-Minute Clemency Flurry
The rapper, a convicted felon, faced 10 years in prison for possession of a gold-plated handgun. He voiced his support for Trump during the 2020 campaign.
Screenshot/Twitter
President Donald Trump pardoned Lil Wayne hours before leaving office as part of a wave of last-minute pardons and commutations.
The rapper, born Dwayne Michael Carter, was arrested in December 2019 while disembarking a private plane in Miami and carrying a loaded, gold-plated semiautomatic handgun, as well as various drugs. He pleaded guilty to federal charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon in December in Florida court. His sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 28, and he faced up to 10 years in prison.
Carter voiced his support for Trump during the election, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, reportedly pushed for a pardon for the musician. Kushner, Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and White House counsel Pat Cipollone reportedly consulted with Trump heavily on his choices of whom to pardon.
Trump pardoned nearly 150 others Tuesday, including former chief strategist Steve Bannon and Republican high-dollar fundraiser Elliott Broidy. He began calling clemency recipients Monday night, according to The New York Times.
Though speculation loomed that Trump would pardon his sons Eric and Don Jr., Kushner, and even himself, he has so far not done so on his last full day in office, nor has he declared plans to. No U.S. president has ever pardoned himself. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office is probing Trump’s company for possible criminal activity, and Bannon was charged with fraud over a campaign to collect financing for Trump’s pet project the U.S.-Mexico border wall. He pleaded not guilty.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
In the past, Trump has not hesitated to issue controversial pardons to allies, including to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and to his longtime pal Roger Stone.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.