Trump pardoned a construction company owner whose family donated over $200,000 to his campaign

Associated Press

President Donald Trump talks to the media before he boards Air Force One for a trip to Los Angeles to attend a campaign fundraiser, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

• Trump pardoned Paul Pogue, a construction company owner who was guilty of under paying his taxes by near half a million dollars, The Daily Beast reported.
• Pogue's son and daughter-in-law had donated over $200,000 to Trump's campaign since August of last year. Their previous donations to Republican campaigns apparently did not surpass $10,000.
• Trump pardoned and commuted sentences for nearly a dozen convicted individuals on Tuesday, including well-known cases like former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
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President Donald Trump granted a full pardon and clemency to a construction company owner whose family donated over $200,000 to his presidential campaign.

Paul Pogue, the construction company owner, pleaded guilty to underpaying his taxes by nearly $500,000 and received three years probation.

Trump pardoned and commuted sentences for nearly a dozen convicted individuals on Tuesday, including more well-known cases like former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of attempting to sell former President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

According to the Federal Election Commission, Paul's son, Ben Pogue - the new CEO of Pogue Construction - and Ben's wife, Ashleigh, made over $200,000 in donations to both the Trump Victory PAC and Trump's official presidential campaign.

In August of last year, Ben Pogue and his wife made a collective donation of $135,000 to Trump Victory. Ben also made an in-kind air travel donation to Trump Victory in September, The Daily Beast reported.

FEC statements show that the couple each maxed out their individual donation limit for Trump's presidential campaign - each donating $2,800 for the primary and $2,800 for the general election. The couple also made large donations amounting to over $150,000 to the Republican National Committee.

The couple had donated to Republican campaigns before, but both donations did not match the sum of their Trump donations, according to The Daily Beast. Ben and Ashleigh Pogue made a donation of a few thousand dollars to Paul Ryan's congressional campaign in 2017, and $5,400 to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's presidential run in 2016.

Trump has made controversial pardons in the past, particularly within the military. The president overruled top military officials to pardon US Army soldiers accused or convicted of war crimes.

• Read more:
• Trump just overruled his top military officials in controversial war crimes pardons
• Trump's pardons erode good order and discipline and could shatter the military's reputation, veterans say
• The convicted US Army war criminal Trump released early says he can't get a job 'even at Walmart or Target'

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