Trump Quietly Denied 6K Clemency Bids

Hopes for a July 4 clemency surprise from President Trump have largely ended in a mass rejection. The administration quietly turned down close to 6,000 applications for sentence reductions this month, mostly from people with no political pull who'd spent some time in the formal Justice Department pipeline, the New York Times reports. The wave of denials came after internal talk that Trump might mark the nation's 250th birthday with up to 250 clemency grants—a plan that a White House official now describes as an idea mulled by staff, not a commitment.

Instead, Trump issued fewer than 20 pardons on July 3, including for Clean Air Act violators and a political donor. A July 14 letter from US Pardon Attorney Ed Martin to federal prosecutors said his office began issuing denials on July 10, but it didn't clarify whether Trump had personally reviewed the cases. The move underscores Trump's long-standing pattern of bypassing the traditional review process in favor of high-profile allies, Jan. 6 defendants, and those with access to well-connected advocates, frustrating those who'd been told to submit candidates who'd earned "a second chance." Three big names who are reportedly vying for Trump pardons: Sam Bankman-Fried, R. Kelly, and Sean "Diddy" Combs.