Political Props: Will Donald Trump Pardon Edward Snowden?

It’s a little hard to believe, but President Donald Trump’s first and only term in office is set to come to a close. As of this writing, Trump has less than 48 hours to go before he goes from being the most powerful person on the planet to just another private American citizen.

To say that Trump has been an unconventional president would be the understatement of a lifetime. The former star of “The Apprentice” has bucked countless political norms and historical precedents during his four years in Washington DC. While he has retained the undying support of his true loyalists, he will leave his post on Wednesday as one of the most unpopular presidents in American history.

While every president has made good use of the unique pardon powers that come with the office over the years, we haven’t seen many presidents as trigger-happy with those powers as Trump has been. That power dates back to George Washington, who pardoned, communted, or granted clemency to 16 people as the first president in American history. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (2,819) issued more pardons than any president ever.

Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, issued pardons, commutations, and clemency to nearly 2,000 poeple, which puts him near the top of the leaderboard. Trump has issued just 94 to this point, but some of the people granted clemency by this president have raised eyebrows.

Trump has issued pardons to the likes of Joe Arpaio, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and a group of mercenaries convicted of committing extrajudicial murders in Iraq several years ago.

Before he leaves office, Trump is expected to issue a slew of new pardons. There has been rampant speculation about the potential for the POTUS to pardon several members of his immediate family, with some talk of Trump even attempting to pardon himself. Whether that comes to pass obviously remains to be seen.

In the meantime, you can actually wager on whether certain famous people will be getting a pardon from Trump before January 20. Political betting sites have released free props asking whether Trump will grant clemency to the likes of Lil Wayne, Suge Knight, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and a few others before he trades the White House for Mar-a-Lago. Let’s sort through the options and pick a winner, shall we?

Lil Wayne (-300)

According to the New York Post, Trump is strongly considering a pardon for rapper Lil Wayne as well as a number of others that have been incarcerated as a result of an old anti-drug law previously written by president-elect Joe Biden. Trump has maintained for quite some time that he actually beat Biden in November’s election, so perhaps he sees this as an opportunity to try and smack down the legacy of his eventual successor.

Last year, Lil Wayne surprised many by endorsing Trump’s re-election. The rapper recently pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm, which was against the law after he had previously been convicted of a felony. His sentencing is set for January 28, and he faces up to 10 years in prison as a result of the violation.

Trump reportedly set to issue 100 pardons and commutations on his final full day in office… including Lil Wayne.https://t.co/YboEqqn5Vd pic.twitter.com/mgMBjiUi3f

— Complex (@Complex) January 18, 2021

Wayne may have had this in mind when he decided to come out in favor of Trump last year. Trump is also expected to consider pardons for Michael Pelletier and Corvain Cooper, who are currently serving life sentences for marijuana possession.

You’re not getting much upside at all here if Lil Wayne gets pardoned at -300, but it’s a wager you’re likely to win. This one is a lock.

Steve Bannon (-250)

Steve Bannon is one of many political operatives to have had a falling out with Trump over the course of his presidency. Bannon was a key cog in Trump’s 2016 campaign, and he was given a job as a White House strategist after Trump’s unexpected victory. He lasted just seven months in that post before resigning.

In August of last year, Bannon was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. Bannon and three others were accused of stealing money from the “We Build the Wall” campaign, which was an organization that solicited private donations to pay for Trump’s US-Mexico border wall.

Bannon has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and he’s expected to stand trial this May. While Trump tried to distance himself from Bannon shortly after the latter left the White House, the two have reportedly started talking again in recent weeks as Trump desperately searched for ways to overturn his election loss.

Trump is reportedly toying with the idea of granting Bannon a pardon, which would make sense given Trump’s history of granting pardons to close political allies that have faced federal legal trouble over the past few years. The fact that Bannon and Trump have apparently made up recently likely can’t hurt Bannon’s chances of getting some help from POTUS.

Kodak Black (-125)

Bloomberg reported over the weekend that another rapper, Kodak Black, has made his way onto Trump’s list of pardon candidates. Kodak was sentenced to over three years in prison back in November of 2019 as a result of weapons charges. Kodak later admitted that he falsified information on federal forms when he was trying to buy four guns from a store in Miami.

Back in November, the rapper tweeted that he would donate $1 million to charity if he earned a pardon from the president. The tweet was subsequently deleted, but fellow rapper Lil Yachty pleaded for Trump to pardon Kodak earlier this month. Yachty wrote “the system punished him way too hard” for the crime of providing false info on paperwork.

While Kodak may well earn a pardon, his odds clearly aren’t quite as favorable as Lil Wayne’s. That Trump endorsement should prove useful for Weezy. Kodak didn’t personally endorse Trump’s re-election last year, which could wind up costing him a commutation.

Joe Exotic (+150)

Joe Exotic rose to fame last year around the time everybody started to stay home and binge Netflix. The unofficial protagonist of Tiger King, Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage, has officially petitioned for a pardon from Trump before he leaves the Oval Office on January 20.

Maldonado-Passage is in the first year of a 22-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting to murder Carole Baskin, among other charges. The DoJ denied Exotic’s pardon request in September, but an attorney for the former zookeeper is asking for Trump to officially weigh-in on the matter.

Exclusive: Joe Exotic has a limo parked near prison ahead of tomorrow’s pardon verdict https://t.co/nVbf6TdFSO

— Metro Entertainment (@Metro_Ents) January 18, 2021

Joe Exotic’s associates have reportedly arranged for a limo to wait outside of his prison in Texas in the event that his pardon is granted before Wednesday. The Tiger King star is hoping that his pardon would appeal to Trump’s desire to steal some Inauguration Day headlines away from Biden.

Getting plus-money on a Joe Exotic pardon is pretty appealing. His legal team seems fairly confident that Trump will come through with a decision in their favor, so I like the value here at +150.

Michael Harris (+200)

Michael “Harry-O” Harris is the founder of Death Row Records. Harris was been in jail since the early-1990s after it was discovered that he had been operating an 11-state cocaine trafficking enterprise that was involved with the Cali Cartel out of Colombia. The 58-year-old has done some philanthropy work while behind bars, which has earned him some support of local community leaders and elected officials.

Harris seems genuinely remorseful for his actions. In a 2017 letter appealing to a federal judge for early release, Harris wrote,

“I was selfish, inconsiderate, and worse. It truly pains me, and shames me, to think about who I was and what I did.”

Harris was denied early release in February of last year, and his prison sentence isn’t slated to end until 2028. Snoop Dogg is one of the prominent voices that has tried to get into Trump’s ear and advocate for a pardon for Harry-O. Alice Johnson, whose own sentence was commuted by Trump earlier in his term, has also voiced her support for Harris’ early release.

A pardon for Harris may not be quite as likely as it is for a few other potential candidates, but the upside is solid at +200. Having Johnson in his corner should only enhance his chances.

Suge Knight (+250)

Suge Knight, another Death Row Records alum, has been incarcerated since 2018 after a fatal hit-and-run back in 2015. Knight was sentenced to 28 years behind bars, which means he’s scheduled to become eligible for parole for the first time in the summer of 2037.

Singer Ray J has been among those trying to convince Trump to issue a pardon for Knight. Ray J reportedly saw Kim Kardashian successfully lobby the president in her own criminal justice efforts earlier in his term,

The problem with Knight’s case is that there doesn’t seem to be much momentum in his favor otherwise. He doesn’t seem to be a particularly sympathetic figure given his lengthy history of legal issues, either. Trump could always surprise us with a last-second pardon for Knight, but I’m not too keen on the +250 odds with this one.

C-Murder (+300)

Perhaps Corey Miller should’ve gone with something other than “C-Murder” for his stage name. The 49-year-old rapper was sentenced to life in prison back in 2009 in connection with the 2002 murder of Steve Thomas, a 16-year-old. Miller’s case drew some extra scrutiny in 2018 when a pair of witnesses recanted their original statements. The two claimed that they were pressured into testifying against Miller by authorities.

C-Murder has maintained his innocence throughout, and his brother has attempted to call for a new trial on a number of occasions to no avail. Kardashian advocated for his innocence in August of last year and called for his sentencing to be overturned.

The problem here is that Miller was convicted of a state crime. Presidential pardons carry a lot of weight, but they only apply to federal crimes. Miller was convicted of murder in Louisiana and charged by the state. Trump can try to issue a pardon if he wants, but it wouldn’t actually do any good.

Kyle Rittenhouse (+800)

Kyle Rittenhouse is the 17-year-old that was arrested in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer after he allegedly shot and killed two people during a series of racial injustice protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse had traveled to Kenosha from his home state of Illinois, and he was charged with two counts of homicide as well as unlawful possession of a firearm.

Rittenhouse’s attorneys have claimed that he was acting in self defense when he shot three people during the protests. The teenager has drawn some praise from pro-police advocates since the killings, with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson among those that has publicly come to Rittenhouse’s defense. Trump has shown some support of Rittenhouse via social media, but he has not explicitly come out and said that he believes he was acting in self-defense.

Rittenhouse has the same issue that C-Murder does, though. He was charged with state crimes, not federal crimes. A pardon from Trump wouldn’t carry any water, so the president will almost surely not even bother before he leaves office.

Edward Snowden (+800)

Congressional Republicans are reportedly divided on whether President Trump should pardon Edward Snowden in his final days. Snowden is still living in exile in Russia after being accused of espionage and theft of government property in the US after he wound up deciding to leak intelligence information back in 2013. Snowden would be arrested and likely sentenced to decades in prison if he ever returned to the US.

Some believe Snowden was a whistleblower doing the right thing, while others believe he acted against the best interests of the US and deserves scorn as a traitor. The incoming Biden administration is unlikely to issue a pardon to Snowden despite the fact that he has received the support of some human rights groups.

If Assange goes unpardoned because he didn’t bribe somebody, it will say everything that needs to be said about this broken age. https://t.co/kiAs8vXHz1

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 17, 2021

The Obama administration stated that it believed that Snowden harmed America’s national security with his actions. More than a million people signed a petition calling for Snowden’s pardon before the end of Obama’s term, but that petition was ultimately rejected.

Trump actually called for Snowden’s execution back in 2013, but he has since softened that stance considerably. Trump said late last year that many believe Snowden is being treated “unfairly” by American law enforcement as a result of his actions.

Again, let’s not forget that Trump is interested in generating as many headlines as he possibly can. That may be exceedingly difficult for him now that he’s been banned from Twitter and will be out of office soon. He may not actually care one way or the other about the Snowden case, but a pardon would certainly earn plenty of media attention. At +800, I don’t mind taking a shot on a Snowden pardon.

Julian Assange (+1000)

Trump and Julian Assange have a history. Assange’s WikiLeaks was behind some of the dirt that the Trump campaign attempted to dig up on Hillary Clinton back in 2016. Roger Stone, one of Trump’s longtime loyalists, worked directly with WikiLeaks while trying to thwart Clinton’s bid for the White House five years ago.

Assange is facing charges in the US after publising thousands of declassified military and intelligence documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars several years ago. The 49-year-old has been in London fighting extradition to the US for the better part of a decade, but actress Pamela Anderson has reportedly been lobbying Trump for a pardon. Anderson has been a vocal supporter of Assange’s over the past few years.

Trump may have a soft spot for Assange after the latter helped get the former elected in the first place, but the Daily Mail reports that a pardon for Assange is “unlikely.” BetOnline.ag has Assange’s odds of being pardoned set at +1000 and you should definitely pass on this one.

Derek Chauvin (+1400)

Trump voiced his displeasure with the racial injustice protests that took place all over the US last summer after the murder of George Floyd, but I’d be surprised if he managed to go this far. Derek Chauvin is one of the former Minneapolis police officers that has been charged in Floyd’s killing. Chauvin was the officer that was filmed with his knee on Floyd’s neck for the eight minutes and 46 seconds leading up to Floyd’s death.

We can’t be shocked by anything Trump does, but this one feels like a major reach.