一名曾由白宫法律顾问大卫·沃林顿(David Warrington)代表的前田纳西州议员表示，他在2022年承认非法竞选融资计划后，获得了唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统的赦免。
白宫尚未公开谈论前参议员布莱恩·凯尔西的赦免，但知情人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，特朗普周二签署了赦免文件。
白宫法律顾问办公室通常会审查总统赦免令，目前还不清楚沃林顿是否回避了他前客户的赦免令。
白宫没有立即回应对沃林顿参与程度的置评请求。
凯尔西在被判21个月监禁两周后获得赦免。监狱管理局的记录显示，凯尔西周二已经不在FCI·阿什兰监狱了。
根据联邦检察官的说法，凯尔西非法从他的州竞选委员会向联邦委员会提供了数万美元，以资助他失败的2016年国会竞选。他最初承认了一项重罪，后来由沃林顿代理，撤回了认罪。
沃林顿在一份法庭文件中写道:“被告布莱恩·凯尔西(Brian Kelsey)带着一颗不确定的心和混乱的头脑匆忙签署了认罪协议，”他辩称，凯尔西在父亲去世、妻子生下双胞胎后决定认罪时感到困惑。
“在照顾新生儿的同时还要处理生活中的其他事情，这种大雾和睡眠不足导致他思维混乱。一旦他的头脑开始清醒，凯尔西先生迅速采取行动，试图撤回他的请求，”他写道。
但美国地区法官韦弗利·克伦肖(Waverly Crenshaw)拒绝了这一请求，认为凯尔西——上过法学院并从事法律工作——在最初认罪时理解自己的行为。最高法院驳回了他在2024年夏天审理此案的请求。他最终被判处21个月监禁，尽管他被允许在上诉期间延期服刑。
凯尔西于2月24日到他的最低安全监狱报到，在特朗普发布赦免之前，他在狱中度过了大约两周。
“赞美至高的主!愿上帝保佑美国，尽管它在过去四年里对我、特朗普总统和其他人犯下了起诉罪。上帝保佑唐纳德·j·特朗普让美国再次伟大!”凯尔西在社交媒体上写道。
Trump pardons convicted Tennessee lawmaker once represented by the White House counsel
A former Tennessee lawmaker who was once represented by White House Counsel David Warrington said he received a pardon from President Donald Trump after pleading guilty to an illegal campaign finance scheme in 2022.
The White House has not said anything publicly about former Sen. Brian Kelsey's pardon, but sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that Trump signed the pardon paperwork on Tuesday.
The White House counsel's office normally reviews presidential pardons, and it was not immediately clear if Warrington recused himself from his former client's pardon.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Warrington's level of involvement.
Kelsey was two weeks into his 21-month prison sentence when he received the pardon. Bureau of Prisons records reflected that Kelsey was no longer in custody at FCI Ashland as of Tuesday.
According to federal prosecutors, Kelsey illegally funneled tens of thousands of dollars from his state campaign committee to a federal committee to fund his failed 2016 congressional campaign. He originally pleaded guilty to one felony before later withdrawing his plea while he was represented by Warrington.
"Defendant Brian Kelsey entered his plea agreement hastily with an unsure heart and confused mind," Warrington wrote in a court filing, arguing Kelsey was confused when he decided to plead guilty after his father died and his wife gave birth to twins.
"The fog and sleep deprivation of taking care of his newborns while dealing with everything else in his life led to his confused mind. Once his mind began clearing, Mr. Kelsey acted quickly to seek to withdraw his plea," he wrote.
But U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw denied the request, finding that Kelsey – who attended law school and practiced law – understood his actions when he initially pleaded guilty. The Supreme Court denied his request to hear his case on in the summer of 2024. He was eventually sentenced to 21 months in prison, though he was allowed to delay serving his sentence while his appeal played out.
Kelsey reported to his minimum-security prison on Feb. 24, spending about two weeks behind bars before Trump issued his pardon.
"Praise the Lord most high! May God bless America, despite the prosecutorial sins it committed against me, President Trump, and others the past four years. And God bless Donald J. Trump for Making America Great Again!" Kelsey wrote on social media.
