Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Trump’s use of the presidential pardon, and how it departs from his predecessors

    Christmas is days away, and for 15 people who were naughty, President Trump delivered a special gift last night: a presidential pardon. Five people had their sentences commuted.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Dec 23, 2020 • 8m Listen

    Christmas is days away, and for 15 people who were naughty, President Trump delivered a special gift last night: a presidential pardon. Five people had their sentences commuted. On the list: two men convicted in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, three former members of Congress who supported Trump early on, and four Blackwater contractors convicted of killing civilians in Iraq. Blackwater was founded by one of Trump’s biggest supporters: Erik Prince, the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Angie Perrin

      Producer, Press Play

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Line Editor, Press Play

    • KCRW placeholder

      David Farber

      law professor at the University of California, Berkeley

      NewsNationalPolitics
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand