WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump issued a new batch of pardons just half a day before his presidency comes to an end.
Trump commuted the sentences of 70 individuals and pardoned 73 others, according to the announcement released around 11 p.m. (MST) Tuesday night.
READ: President Trump pardons Utahns Weldon Angelos and Rep. Phil Lyman
Among those included at least one with Utah connections: Lynn Barney, whose pardon was supported by Sen. Mike Lee and "numerous notable members of the Utah business community," the announcement from the White House stated.
"Mr. Barney was sentenced to 35 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon, after having previously been convicted for distributing a small amount of marijuana. Since his release from prison, Mr. Barney has been a model citizen and has devoted himself to his work and children. He is described by his employer as an exceedingly hard worker and a role model to other employees," the statement read.
Four of the listed individuals had their clemency "supported" by Brett Tolman, a former U.S. Attorney for Utah. They were: Greg Reyes, Eliyahu Weinstein, Adrianne Miller and Shalom Weiss. They did not appear to have any direct connections to Utah.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday that Tolman had been advising Trump on the matter of pardons and commutations, and had even collected tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, from those lobbying for clemency.
Trump's former chief strategist Stephen Bannon was among those pardoned, as was rapper Lil Wayne.
Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as "Joe Exotic" of the hit Netflix documentary series "Tiger King," however, was not.
A full list of the pardons and commutations can be found on the White House website.
