Overview
- The White House confirmed full pardons late last week for former Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vázquez Garced and banker Julio Herrera Velutini, drawing a new round of ethics questions.
- The New York Times reported that Herrera’s daughter, Isabela Herrera, gave $2.5 million and later $1 million to MAGA Inc. before her father secured a DOJ-approved misdemeanor plea and ultimately a pardon.
- According to the Times, the misdemeanor deal was authorized by a top Trump Justice Department appointee over the objections of career prosecutors, following negotiations led by attorney Christopher M. Kise.
- A Wall Street Journal report described a burgeoning pardon-shopping market, with lobbyists quoting fees around $1 million and success fees reportedly reaching $6 million for access to clemency.
- The White House said the cases reflected political prosecutions and denied that contributions influenced outcomes, and an official told NBC News a procedural fix will address omitted dockets in Vázquez’s paperwork.