Trump grants clemency to five nonviolent offenders

President Trump on Wednesday commuted the prison sentences of five nonviolent offenders who the White House says have turned their lives around after serving time.

Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement that Trump had signed executive grants of clemency commuting the sentences of Lenora Logan, Rashella Reed, Charles Tanner, John Bolen and Curtis McDonald.

“In light of the decisions these individuals have made following their convictions to improve their lives and the lives of others while incarcerated, the President has determined that each is deserving of an Executive Grant of Clemency,” McEnany said.

The White House released brief bios of the individuals along with the statement announcing the clemency orders. The group includes four individuals convicted on drug charges, including one associate of Alice Marie Johnson, another American whose sentence Trump has commuted and who has been a prominent supporter of his since.

Trump did not appear to have a direct connection to any of the five individuals whose commutations were announced on Wednesday.

McDonald was convicted in 1996 alongside Johnson on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. He has served 24 years of a life sentence and has “an excellent record of good conduct,” the White House said.

Logan, who was sentenced to nearly three decades in prison for participating in a cocaine conspiracy, exhibited “selfless acts” in prison, including helping a Bureau of Prisons nurse who was being assaulted by a fellow inmate, according to the White House.

Reed, an Atlanta public school teacher who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her role in an $8 million food stamp fraud case, has used her teaching skills to tutor inmates while in jail and has been serving the remainder of her sentence in home confinement.

Tanner, a professional boxer who was initially sentenced to life in prison for his role in a drug conspiracy, has served 16 years in prison during which time he has enrolled in educational courses.

Bolen, a small business owner who used his boat to move cocaine from the Bahamas to Florida, has served 13 years of a life sentence with no incidents and has enrolled in educational programming in addition to vocational training and reentry programs.

The five Americans join a number of individuals Trump has granted pardons or commuted the sentences of in his first term as president.

Some of those pardons and commutations have proven controversial, as he has moved to assist his personal friends and allies. Trump was widely scrutinized for commuting the sentence of Roger Stone, a longtime political operative and friend, in July.

The president commuted Johnson’s sentence after a push from reality TV star Kim Kardashian. Johnson advocated for Trump in a speech to the Republican National Convention in August. Afterwards, he granted her a full pardon.