In a Wednesday statement, the White House said Black deserved an executive clemency because of the extensive disagreement among US Supreme Court justices about the charges brought against him, and his high social standing as "an entrepreneur and scholar."
BREAKING: Trump grants “executive clemency” aka full pardon to Conrad Black #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/LWbSqDR3xE
— Richard Madan (@RichardMadan) May 16, 2019
Black served 3.5 years in prison after his conviction, following a successful appeal that reduced his sentence, and was released in 2010. Black was then deported to his native Canada and barred from entering the US for 30 years.
Trump has pardoned eight people so far in his presidency, and just one in 2019: Michael Chase Behenna, who was convicted in 2009 of unpremeditated murder and assault by the US Army after he killed an Iraqi prisoner.
