A CNN story asserts that Paul Manafort may still be serving a prison term if Donald Trump hadn't pardoned him in his last weeks as president. 

But now that he's out of prison, Trump's former campaign manager can do whatever he wants to assist his former boss win the presidency again.

Trump will formally become the party's presidential nominee again this summer at the Republican National Convention, and CNN and other sites reported this week that Manafort is in conversations to assist with the convention.

Manafort would become the latest recipient of Trump's clemency to aid the political return of the former president if he were to become involved, as is widely believed to be happening.

He wasn't the first of his kind.

Individuals Trump Pardoned

As the former president seeks a return to power, over a dozen individuals whose sentences were shortened or who were pardoned by Trump have since helped him.

Some have given large sums of money to help fund the project, such as former top adviser Steve Bannon.

Others, such as conservative writer and Trump biographer Conrad Black, rapper Kodak Black, and former US representative and current Utah governor Phil Lyman, are vocal supporters with large followings.

Federal documents reveal that John Tate, a Republican strategist who was pardoned, earned almost $70,000 last year working with Trump's presidential campaign.

Given the distinctive traits of Trump's third run for the presidency and his norm-shattering use of presidential power while in office, it is amazing that he benefited from the people to whom he offered legal forgiveness.

Accusations Against Trump

The publication asserted that Trump used his clemency powers to pardon and release people with close ties to his campaign and administration, including celebrities, political supporters, and lifelong associates.

The "perfect storm" of extremely exceptional circumstances raises questions about favoritism and abuse of power that normally are not issues for presidential aspirants, according to Jeffrey Crouch, a specialist on executive clemency at American University.

“It’s yet another wrinkle in an already very complicated legal and political landscape for Trump’s 2024 presidential bid,” Crouch, who wrote “The Presidential Pardon Power,” said.
Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Questions about whether or not a president can pardon himself have also returned in the wake of Trump's campaign. Given that Trump is facing 44 accusations across two federal indictments, the nation may have to face this question if the former president's legal issues are not settled before Election Day.