This may leave you asking: What have these people done to merit a presidential pardon? Mr. Black, whose pardon the White House announced late on Wednesday , had the backing of Rush Limbaugh and Henry Kissinger, among others. Mr. Nolan received an assist from The American Spectator, a right-leaning publication, which last year published an article that urged Mr. Trump to pardon him. The way Mr. Trump has invoked his pardon authority has not gone without scrutiny. In his obstruction of justice investigation of the president, Robert Mueller, the special counsel, examined numerous episodes where the prospect of a presidential pardon appeared designed to influence the conduct of witnesses or associates of the president, such as Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen.

Source: New York Times May 19, 2019 18:56 UTC