Donald Trumphas issued a full pardon to his longtime friend and business associate Conrad Black, a former media mogul who published a glowing biography of the president last May.Black, 74, was convicted in 2007 of obstruction of justice and fraud for swindling shareholders of his company, Hollinger International, out of millions of dollars. He was released from prison in 2012 after three-and-a-half years behind bars.In a statement Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders described Black as “entirely deserving” of his pardon and she cited his work as “an entrepreneur and scholar,” including biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon. (No mention was made of his Trump biography).“In 2007, prosecutors alleged that Lord Black had committed several acts of mail fraud and obstruction,” the statement read. “The Supreme Court of the United States, however, largely disagreed and overturned almost all charges in his case. He nevertheless spent 3.5 years in prison.”The statement went on to name the “impressive” list of “high-profile individuals who have vigorously vouched for his exceptional character,” including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,Elton John, Rush Limbaugh, and William F. Buckley, Jr.TheNew York Timesreported in 2007 that Black once donated to John’s AIDS Foundation, and the singer contributed a letter testifying to Black’s character to his defense team.Prosecutor Eric Sussman, however, reportedly noted that the donation to the foundation wasn’t out of pocket, but from the coffers of the U.K.’sDaily Telegraph.Black’s media empire included theTelegraph, as well as theChicago Sun-TimesandThe Jerusalem Post.RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump Says He Had a ‘Great Meeting’ withKim Kardashianas They Pose in Oval OfficeTheTimesreports Trump was expected to be called on to testify as a witness during Black’s trial, but that his defense lawyers opted against it at the last minute.Black, a native of Canada, renounced his citizenship in 2001 to be inducted into Britain’s House of Lords, but moved back to Canada after he was released from prison, according to theBBC.He has long been praiseworthy of Trump in the press and has published dozens of columns praising the president in theNational Review.One, published earlier this month under the title,“Trump Looks Solid for 2020,”proclaims: “President Trump can turn a likely clear win into a mighty landslide. I believe he will do it.”Another shared before the 2016 election – titled“Trump Is the Good Guy”– even caught the president’s eye, as he shared it on Twitter and wrote, “What an honor to read your piece. As one of the truly great intellects & my friend, I won’t forget!”In addition to the columns, Black publishedDonald J. Trump: A President Like No Otherin May 2018, a biography that praised the president as an optimist with a “genius for spectacle and a firm belief in common sense and the common man.”In an essay published on theNational PostWednesday, Blackreflected on the phone callfrom Trump informing him of his pardon and said that he believed it to be a prank at first.“He could not have been more gracious and quickly got to his point: he was granting me a full pardon that would ‘Expunge the bad rap you got,’” Black wrote.He continued, “’We’ve known each other a long time,’ the president told me, ‘but that wasn’t any part of the reason. Nor has any of the supportive things you’ve said and written about me.’”Trump previouslypardoned controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaioin 2017. He was convicted of criminal contempt for ignoring a federal judge’s order to stop traffic patrols targeting immigrants.
Donald Trumphas issued a full pardon to his longtime friend and business associate Conrad Black, a former media mogul who published a glowing biography of the president last May.
Black, 74, was convicted in 2007 of obstruction of justice and fraud for swindling shareholders of his company, Hollinger International, out of millions of dollars. He was released from prison in 2012 after three-and-a-half years behind bars.
In a statement Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders described Black as “entirely deserving” of his pardon and she cited his work as “an entrepreneur and scholar,” including biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon. (No mention was made of his Trump biography).
“In 2007, prosecutors alleged that Lord Black had committed several acts of mail fraud and obstruction,” the statement read. “The Supreme Court of the United States, however, largely disagreed and overturned almost all charges in his case. He nevertheless spent 3.5 years in prison.”
The statement went on to name the “impressive” list of “high-profile individuals who have vigorously vouched for his exceptional character,” including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,Elton John, Rush Limbaugh, and William F. Buckley, Jr.
TheNew York Timesreported in 2007 that Black once donated to John’s AIDS Foundation, and the singer contributed a letter testifying to Black’s character to his defense team.
Prosecutor Eric Sussman, however, reportedly noted that the donation to the foundation wasn’t out of pocket, but from the coffers of the U.K.’sDaily Telegraph.
Black’s media empire included theTelegraph, as well as theChicago Sun-TimesandThe Jerusalem Post.
RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump Says He Had a ‘Great Meeting’ withKim Kardashianas They Pose in Oval Office
TheTimesreports Trump was expected to be called on to testify as a witness during Black’s trial, but that his defense lawyers opted against it at the last minute.
Black, a native of Canada, renounced his citizenship in 2001 to be inducted into Britain’s House of Lords, but moved back to Canada after he was released from prison, according to theBBC.
He has long been praiseworthy of Trump in the press and has published dozens of columns praising the president in theNational Review.
One, published earlier this month under the title,“Trump Looks Solid for 2020,”proclaims: “President Trump can turn a likely clear win into a mighty landslide. I believe he will do it.”
Another shared before the 2016 election – titled“Trump Is the Good Guy”– even caught the president’s eye, as he shared it on Twitter and wrote, “What an honor to read your piece. As one of the truly great intellects & my friend, I won’t forget!”
In addition to the columns, Black publishedDonald J. Trump: A President Like No Otherin May 2018, a biography that praised the president as an optimist with a “genius for spectacle and a firm belief in common sense and the common man.”
In an essay published on theNational PostWednesday, Blackreflected on the phone callfrom Trump informing him of his pardon and said that he believed it to be a prank at first.
“He could not have been more gracious and quickly got to his point: he was granting me a full pardon that would ‘Expunge the bad rap you got,’” Black wrote.
He continued, “’We’ve known each other a long time,’ the president told me, ‘but that wasn’t any part of the reason. Nor has any of the supportive things you’ve said and written about me.’”
Trump previouslypardoned controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaioin 2017. He was convicted of criminal contempt for ignoring a federal judge’s order to stop traffic patrols targeting immigrants.
source: people.com
