President Trump is considering pardons for individuals convicted of emissions and clean air-related violations, as well as discussing potential clemency for Sean 'Diddy' Combs and other notable figures, according to sources. A meeting was scheduled for Friday afternoon to discuss pardons based on recommendations from advisers. However, Combs and other high-profile cases were not expected to be included in the recommendations.
Combs is currently serving a sentence of over four years in federal prison after being convicted of two counts related to prostitution, while he was acquitted of more serious charges. Trump has not committed to a specific number of pardons. A White House official stated that Trump is the ultimate decision-maker regarding clemency actions.
Another individual seeking a pardon is Prakazrel 'Pras' Michel, a member of The Fugees, who is serving a 14-year sentence for conspiracy charges related to foreign lobbying. The sources indicated that Trump has not yet made a decision on whether to grant clemency to Michel or financier Jho Low, who is also seeking a pardon.
The pardons team is expected to focus exclusively on Clean Air Act violations, following Trump's previous pardon of Troy Lake, who served time for disabling pollution-control equipment. The Justice Department has recently scaled back environmental criminal enforcement, with an executive order from Trump directing the EPA to deprioritize civil enforcement of emissions tampering.
Clemency has been a significant aspect of Trump's second term, with over 1,500 pardons granted on his first day in office, primarily related to the January 6 Capitol riot. This has led to scrutiny from Democrats in Congress, who are investigating the clemency process for potential 'pay-to-play' dynamics, especially if they gain a majority in the upcoming midterm elections.