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A Tale of Two Terms: How Powerful Figures Were Prosecuted in Trump's First Term, Then Pardoned in His Second
ProPublicaIn President Donald Trump’s first term, his Justice Department actively pursued those accused of fraud and corruption.
P.G. Sittenfeld, a rising Democratic star on Cincinnati’s City Council, was charged with taking a bribe in exchange for his support of development deals.
Devon Archer, a financier and corporate board member, was convicted in a scheme to defraud $60 million from a Native American tribal entity.
And Brian Kelsey, a former Republican state senator from Tennessee, was the target of a federal grand jury investigation for illegally funneling nearly $100,000 into his failed congressional campaign.
All three were subsequently sentenced to prison. Theirs are among more than a dozen criminal cases that were investigated or prosecuted in Trump’s first term and then undone, through the president’s clemency power, in his second term.
P.G. Sittenfeld, a rising Democratic star on Cincinnati’s City Council, was charged with taking a bribe in exchange for his support of development deals.
Devon Archer, a financier and corporate board member, was convicted in a scheme to defraud $60 million from a Native American tribal entity.
And Brian Kelsey, a former Republican state senator from Tennessee, was the target of a federal grand jury investigation for illegally funneling nearly $100,000 into his failed congressional campaign.
All three were subsequently sentenced to prison. Theirs are among more than a dozen criminal cases that were investigated or prosecuted in Trump’s first term and then undone, through the president’s clemency power, in his second term.
They were prosecuted, then pardoned by Trump:
— ProPublica (@propublica.org) 2025-11-22T02:00:08.105392892Z
• P.G. Sittenfeld: Convicted of taking a bribe
• Devon Archer: Convicted of defrauding M from a tribal entity
• Brian Kelsey: Convicted of illegally funneling ~0K into his campaign