Trump grants pardon to entertainment CEO charged by his own Justice Department

President Donald Trump has issued a complete and unconditional pardon to Tim Leiweke, an entertainment industry executive who was previously charged by the Justice Department with manipulating the bidding process for a university arena project in Austin. The pardon is officially dated Tuesday.

Leiweke faced indictment in July for allegedly rigging the bidding to favor his own company, effectively denying the public university and taxpayers a fair competitive process. At the time, Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater stated, As outlined in the indictment, the Defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding.

If convicted, Leiweke could have faced up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following the pardon, Leiweke released a statement saying, This has been a long and difficult journey for my wife, my daughter, and me. The President has given us a new lease on life with which we will be grateful and good stewards.

This pardon coincides with Trumps earlier clemency for Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar, who had been charged by the Biden Justice Department with allegedly accepting bribes totaling approximately $600,000 from an oil and gas company linked to the Azerbaijani government and a bank based in Mexico City. These pardons highlight Trumps willingness to intervene in cases involving white-collar crimes.

Trump has previously granted clemency to several high-profile figures accused or convicted of financial or corruption-related offenses, including Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road; Las Vegas politician Michele Fiore, convicted of wire fraud and misuse of government funds; and former Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins, convicted of accepting over $75,000 in bribes for deputy appointments. Observers note that his pardons often target individuals involved in complex financial or political misconduct, with further cases likely before the end of his term.

Author: Ethan Caldwell