President Trump is going through a controversial series of pardons and sentence reductions, granting clemency to more than two dozen people. This unusual and rapid series of decisions included political allies, a famous rapper, and the former leader of a well-known Chicago gang. This led to serious concerns about how presidential power was being used and whether there were conflicts of interest.
The moves, announced on Wednesday, went against the normal Justice Department review process, instead seeming to favor people who were loyal or politically aligned with Trump. The BBC news reported that one of the most high-profile cases was Larry Hoover, the former leader of the Gangster Disciples, a Chicago gang with a long history of drug trafficking and violent crime. Hoover had been serving multiple life sentences but had his federal sentence reduced, though this did not change his state charges, where he still faces another 200 years in prison.
