Trump to pardon former Puerto Rico governor: Report

​​​​​​​HAMILTON, Canada

US President Donald Trump is preparing to issue a pardon to former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez Garced, who admitted guilt last year in a federal public corruption case, according to a report Friday.

Citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, CBS News reported that the pardon would also extend to Vazquez's two co-defendants, Julio Martin Herrera-Velutini, a wealthy Venezuelan-Italian banker and founder of Britannia Financial Group, and Mark Rossini.

All three were allegedly implicated in a bribery scheme tied to Vazquez's 2020 campaign.

Federal prosecutors charged the trio in 2022 with serious offences, including conspiracy and bribery involving public programs. But as the case neared trial last year, the Justice Department reached a last-minute agreement allowing them to plead guilty to lesser charges, a move that drew scrutiny.

According to the CBS News report, the case was handled in part by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, a unit created after the Watergate scandal to pursue sensitive corruption cases. That section has since been significantly reduced in size.

The report also noted that one of Vazquez's defense lawyers was Chris Kise, who previously represented Trump in a separate federal investigation. Sources told CBS News that Kise had urged senior Justice Department officials to reconsider the charges.

Trump administration officials previously have argued that the prosecution was politically driven, pointing out that the investigation began shortly after Vazquez publicly backed Trump in 2020.

A federal judge overseeing the case criticized prosecutors for dropping the most serious charges, saying the reduced penalties were minimal compared to the original potential sentences, CBS News reported.

The White House has not formally announced the pardons.