US President Donald Trump is set to grant pardon to former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez in connection with a campaign finance case, according to an official at the White House.
Vázquez pleaded guilty last August to accepting a promise of a campaign contribution that was never received. The case also involved a former FBI agent and a Venezuelan banker, who were accused of making promises to support her campaign if she dismissed the governor of Puerto Rico's financial institutions commissioner and appointed a new one of their choosing.
The official said Trump viewed this as a political prosecution, with the investigation into Vázquez starting 10 days after she endorsed him in 2020. The case has drawn criticism from many, who see it as an attempt to silence her for speaking out against corruption on the island.
Vázquez's attorneys had opposed one year behind bars, arguing that prosecutors were violating a guilty plea deal that saw previous charges including bribery and fraud dropped. The pardon plan was confirmed by CBS News first, although the official spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress and a member of the island's main opposition party, has condemned the planned pardon for Vázquez, saying it will "undermine public integrity" and "shatter faith in justice".
Vázquez pleaded guilty last August to accepting a promise of a campaign contribution that was never received. The case also involved a former FBI agent and a Venezuelan banker, who were accused of making promises to support her campaign if she dismissed the governor of Puerto Rico's financial institutions commissioner and appointed a new one of their choosing.
The official said Trump viewed this as a political prosecution, with the investigation into Vázquez starting 10 days after she endorsed him in 2020. The case has drawn criticism from many, who see it as an attempt to silence her for speaking out against corruption on the island.
Vázquez's attorneys had opposed one year behind bars, arguing that prosecutors were violating a guilty plea deal that saw previous charges including bribery and fraud dropped. The pardon plan was confirmed by CBS News first, although the official spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress and a member of the island's main opposition party, has condemned the planned pardon for Vázquez, saying it will "undermine public integrity" and "shatter faith in justice".
Wanda Vázquez gets a free pass just because Trump thinks the whole thing is a witch hunt? That's rich coming from a guy who's made a career out of being a master of the dark art of self-pardon. 
And now he's trying to silence her for speaking out against corruption? Give me a break. The only thing that's been silenced around here is common sense.
I know she pleaded guilty and all, but come on! One year behind bars for speaking out against corruption? That's not exactly the kind of justice we need. 
And now this pardon thingy comes out of nowhere... I mean, was it always a done deal or did Trump just suddenly decide to show mercy? 
so like trump is all set to grant pardon 2 Wanda Vázquez... i mean whats up wit dat??!! she pleaded guilty 4 campaign finance case last aug & was supposed 2 get 1 year in jail but trump is all like "nahhh" lol @ prosecutors thinkin they can silence her 4 speaking out against corruption on the island 
what a travesty!!!
. what really went down between her and those guys from the fbi & venezuela bank? shouldn't she have gotten a fair trial instead of getting a free pass? also, pablo hernandez is totally right about public integrity... if trump's just gonna throw pardons around like confetti, it undermines everything 
. ugh can we get some real justice here 
If the investigation started that close to her endorsing him, it sounds like a setup to me. And now Trump is just going to swoop in and grant a pardon? It smells like a favor for his buddy Wanda Vázquez.
It's all about politics as usual, folks. A former governor gets a slap on the wrist for allegedly trying to buy influence, and suddenly it's a political prosecution? Yeah, right. And now she's getting a pardon because Trump thinks she spoke out against corruption? That's rich, coming from a guy who's made a career out of being corrupt himself. Anyway, I guess this is what happens when you think the system is rigged against you... but really, it's just rigging yourself.