(NEXSTAR) – President Donald Trump has pardoned several key figures tied to his administration.
The New York Times first reported that Paul Manafort, Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman, and Roger J. Stone, an advisor and friend are among the latest batch of pardons as Trump winds down the final month of his administration. The Times reports that Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, is also receiving clemency.
The actions bring to 49 the number of people who Trump in the last two days has granted clemency either through pardons or sentence commutations.
The pardons of Manafort and Roger Stone, who months earlier had his sentence commuted by Trump, underscore the president’s determination to use the power of his office he final weeks to unravel the results of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and to come to the aid of associates he feels were wrongly pursued.
On Tuesday, Trump pardoned two other people convicted in Mueller’s investigation, including former campaign associate George Papadopoulos.
The Associated Press Contributed to this report.