Trump pardons Stone, Manafort after Russian investigation loses steam

On Wednesday, President Trump pardoned Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, two associates convicted as part of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Trump also pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

This marked the second consecutive day, in which the President pardoned his allies, especially those with connections to the White House.

Roger Stone, a longtime associate of Trump and a prominent Republican strategist, was convicted in November 2019, on charges of lying to Congress in the midst of the Russia Investigation, witness tampering and obstructing justice.

While Trump previously commuted Stone's sentence, this full pardon came as White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany stated that Stone "was treated very unfairly".

Paul Manafort, who served as the chairman of Trump's 2016 campaign, was convicted in 2018 on bank fraud and tax charges. He was sentenced to over seven years in prison, and was released to home confinement earlier this year amid the pandemic, with the President offering him a "full and complete pardon", with McEnany arguing that his convictions were "premised on the Russian collusion hoax".

By pardoning Stone and Manafort, Trump has essentially undone the criminal ramifications for his associates who were prosecuted in Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.