President Trump is poised to grant a pardon to Wanda Vázquez, the former governor of Puerto Rico who pleaded guilty last year to campaign finance charges. According to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Trump intends to issue a pardon in Vázquez's case, which has been pending since August.
Vázquez, a Republican aligned with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, is accused of accepting a promise of a campaign contribution that was never received. Her plea deal included agreeing to plead guilty and cooperating with investigators. However, prosecutors had sought a harsher sentence of one year behind bars, which Vázquez's attorneys argued was unjustified.
The decision to pardon Vázquez has been met with criticism from Puerto Rican politicians, including Representative Pablo José Hernández, who condemned the move as "impunity that protects and fosters corruption." Hernández claimed that the pardon would undermine public integrity and shatter faith in justice.
Vázquez's case involves allegations of bribery and a scheme involving former FBI agent Mark Rossini and Venezuelan banker Julio Martín Herrera Velutini. Authorities say that Vázquez demanded the resignation of Puerto Rico's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions in exchange for support in her campaign, which allegedly led to her appointment of a new commissioner.
The pardon is expected to be Trump's first major move on his final day in office. It is unclear when exactly the pardon will be issued, but it has already been reported by CBS News as part of a pattern of pardons that Trump plans to issue before leaving office.
Vázquez, a Republican aligned with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, is accused of accepting a promise of a campaign contribution that was never received. Her plea deal included agreeing to plead guilty and cooperating with investigators. However, prosecutors had sought a harsher sentence of one year behind bars, which Vázquez's attorneys argued was unjustified.
The decision to pardon Vázquez has been met with criticism from Puerto Rican politicians, including Representative Pablo José Hernández, who condemned the move as "impunity that protects and fosters corruption." Hernández claimed that the pardon would undermine public integrity and shatter faith in justice.
Vázquez's case involves allegations of bribery and a scheme involving former FBI agent Mark Rossini and Venezuelan banker Julio Martín Herrera Velutini. Authorities say that Vázquez demanded the resignation of Puerto Rico's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions in exchange for support in her campaign, which allegedly led to her appointment of a new commissioner.
The pardon is expected to be Trump's first major move on his final day in office. It is unclear when exactly the pardon will be issued, but it has already been reported by CBS News as part of a pattern of pardons that Trump plans to issue before leaving office.
. I mean, it's like he's trying to make her look like a victim or something. Wanda Vázquez was definitely in the wrong, accepting that bribe and all. It just shows how corrupt some politicians can be, you know? Like, if she wanted to be seen as clean, she shouldn't have taken the money in the first place 
. And now this pardon is gonna make everyone think that justice doesn't matter in America anymore. I'm so worried about the message it sends to others who might want to take a shortcut like her 
. It's just not cool, man.
Like, what happens to the money or whatever that was supposed to be in exchange for her support? 
And isn't it weird that Trump's pardoning his buddy's friend's wife and stuff? 
I mean, I'm all for people getting second chances, but shouldn't there be some kinda public explanation about why this pardon is happening? 
Can someone explain how pardons work again? 
i mean dont get me wrong vazquez did plead guilty and all but come on she was supposed to do some hard time for corrupting puerto rican politics meanwhile trump is trying to send a message that he can just let people off scot free if theyre his buddies. its all about politics and who's got the power in this case 
. someone who pleaded guilty already seems like they're getting off easy. think about all the other people who've gone through similar situations... not just puerto rico, either. what's being protected here? the system or the people in power?
. and ain't this the kinda thing we didn't need more of? like, isn't there already enough distrust in gov? anywayz, looks like trump's makin a big move on his last day out tho... can't say i'm surprised tho
... i dont know what to think, but maybe the fact that she pleaded guilty & cooperated with investigators should count 4 something? 
Also, it feels like a pretty calculated move to try and save face before he leaves office. Newsflash: pardoning someone who's guilty doesn't exactly win you friends among the public... 
A slap in the face. I'm not saying Vázquez didn't do anything wrong, but come on! She's a politician, she should know better than to play with fire 
. And now she's just gonna waltz out of prison with a big ol' pardon and people are gonna be like "oh well, corruption is just part of politics" 
. I'm watching from the sidelines and I gotta say, I'm not impressed with Trump's legacy on this one 
. I mean, think about it - Wanda Vázquez is a Republican, which means she's probably got some good connections on the inside. And if Trump really wants to make a statement, then maybe this pardon thing is gonna be big news. But to me, it just feels like more of the same old politics... you do something for someone, and then they do something for you. It's all pretty murky if you ask me 
, but instead, she got caught 
. And now Trump's just gonna wave his magic wand and make everything disappear? Not cool, dude 
, so what does he care about justice or fairness? It's all about saving his skin and being a good buddy to Vázquez 
. The last thing we need is more cronyism and corruption 
! Who needs integrity when you can just say "I'm the President, I'll make pardons happen"? 
[Image of a "Not Guilty" verdict with a big red X through it]
what's next, a free pass for all the corrupt politicians who think they can get away with stuff? Vázquez's case was pretty clear cut - she pleaded guilty and now she's getting off scot-free... it's just not right 
i mean, i'm no fan of trump or his pardoning ways, but this one takes the cake 
. all those politicians who were all for her when she was on the down low are gonna have to answer to their constituents - they gotta live with this 
...and what does this say about the state of justice and accountability in our country? 