Former US President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to grant a pardon to Wanda Vázquez Garced, the former governor of Puerto Rico, following claims her prosecution on federal corruption charges was a "political" move.
The Alleged Quid Pro Quo and Guilty Plea
Vázquez, who served as governor from 2019 to 2021, was indicted in 2022 alongside two co-defendants: Julio Martín Herrera Velutini, founder of the Britannia Financial Group, and Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent. The charges, brought by the US Justice Department's public integrity section, included conspiracy, federal programs bribery, and honest-services wire fraud.
The case centred on allegations that in 2019, Herrera and Rossini promised financial support for Vázquez's gubernatorial campaign. In return, she would allegedly replace Puerto Rico's banking commissioner, who was scrutinising Herrera's bank for suspicious transactions, with a more favourable appointee. Over $300,000 was allegedly paid to political consultants backing her campaign.
After initially pleading not guilty, all three defendants accepted a plea deal in August of this year, admitting to lesser corruption charges as the case neared trial.
Political Motivations and Trump Endorsement
A White House official, speaking to CBS News which first broke the story, stated that Vázquez's pardon materials argue "there was never any element of a quid pro quo deal" and that her prosecution was politically motivated. The official further claimed the investigation began just ten days after Vázquez publicly endorsed Trump's 2020 re-election bid, and that it involved monitoring both her campaign and Trump's.
Vázquez's defence team included Chris Kise, a longtime Trump ally who has previously represented the president. Furthermore, Herrera Velutini's daughter donated $2.5 million to Maga Inc, a Trump-aligned Super PAC, with an additional $1 million donation reported last July.
Trump's Expansive Clemency Campaign
Since returning to office in early 2025, President Trump has pursued a wide-ranging clemency campaign. Those pardoned include:
- More than 1,500 individuals connected to the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack.
- A former Tennessee Republican convicted on federal public corruption charges.
- An ex-New York police sergeant found guilty of assisting China.
- A cryptocurrency billionaire with ties to the Trump family's crypto business.
The planned pardon for Vázquez and her co-defendants fits within this pattern of granting clemency to political and business allies, underscoring the ongoing debates around justice and political influence in the current administration.
