Trump's Pardoning of a Loan Shark Derailed a Federal Investigation: Report
Trump's Pardoning of a Loan Shark Derailed a Federal Investigation: Report
Donald Trump's pardon of Jonathan Braun, a loan shark convicted of running a marijuana ring, derailed a federal investigation into predatory lenders.
The former president undermined negotiations between Jonathan Braun and prosecutors who hoped Braun would testify against other predatory lenders in exchange for his release
Very early in the morning on Donald Trump‘s last day in office, the president announced he was pardoning Jonathan Braun, a loan shark who had been convicted of running a vast marijuana ring. Braun, who at the time was serving a 10-year sentence, was pardoned along with 142 others, including rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black.
Trump’s move undermined a years-long federal investigation, The New York Times reported Sunday. The paper also uncovered ties between Braun and the family of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Federal prosecutors were in the midst of negotiations hoping to secure Braun’s cooperation in a Justice Department investigation into predatory lenders in the merchant cash advance industry when Trump announced his clemency. Investigators felt that an industry insider like Braun could reveal information about predatory lending agreements, but after he was released from incarceration, prosecutors no longer had leverage they could use to compel Braun to talk.
This guy has got to be one of the least law & order presidents. I could see it if he was helping good people for good reasons, but the ones he helps are all scum.
I thought accepting a pardon was an implicit guilty plea and have up your fifth amendment protections. Couldn't they lean on him based on that?
He was already guilty and serving time. They were working with early release as a bargaining chip but now that's gone.
Exactly, now why would he submit to hundreds of hours of interviews with people that can charge him with other crimes adjacent to what he was convinced and pardoned of. There is no incentive for him to cooperate. There is nothing the investigators can offer him that will make it with his while.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Very early in the morning on Donald Trump‘s last day in office, the president announced he was pardoning Jonathan Braun, a loan shark who had been convicted of running a vast marijuana ring.
Braun, who at the time was serving a 10-year sentence, was pardoned along with 142 others, including rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black.
Federal prosecutors were in the midst of negotiations hoping to secure Braun’s cooperation in a Justice Department investigation into predatory lenders in the merchant cash advance industry when Trump announced his clemency.
The cousin, Isaac Wolf, later claimed that the Kushners had helped secure Braun’s release, the merchant cash advance dealer said.
Federal investigators were not made aware of the pardon until the morning it was announced and, according to The Times, they were furious that Trump had sabotaged a possible deal with Braun over predatory lending practices.
Trump has publicly said that if he becomes president again, he intends to make more pardons, including for those convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
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