President Trump granted clemency to Brian Kelsey, a former Republican Tennessee state senator, just two weeks into his 21-month sentence for campaign finance fraud. Kelsey was convicted for funneling money illegally during his unsuccessful 2016 congressional bid and was charged with five counts in 2021. His attorney confirmed the pardon on the same day Kelsey was released from a minimum-security facility. Kelsey has publicly attributed his legal troubles to what he described as the politicization of the Justice Department under President Biden, aligning himself with Trump's narrative.
Federal prosecutors charged Mr. Kelsey in 2021 with five criminal counts that stemmed from his failed 2016 congressional bid, to which, they said, he had illegally funneled money.
Mr. Kelsey repeatedly blamed his legal predicament on what he said had been the weaponization of the Justice Department during the Biden administration, echoing a favorite line of Mr. Trump.
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