250 Pardons for America’s 250th Anniversary

he United States is celebrating the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence today. President Donald Trump previously suggested that he could mark the occasion by granting up to 250 pardons. While the full list has not been made public, one of the names reportedly under consideration at the White House is Sean "Diddy" Combs, whom Trump has said he knew personally. Meanwhile, Sam Bankman-Fried’s request for clemency remains unresolved.

According to CBS News, Trump has been privately reviewing several high-profile pardon requests, including Combs’ case. The music mogul is serving a prison sentence of more than four years after being convicted in 2025 on two counts related to transporting individuals for prostitution. However, he was acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and participating in a criminal enterprise.

So far, Trump has signed pardons for six people convicted of violating emissions regulations. Sources say Friday’s White House meeting focused exclusively on matters related to the Clean Air Act, suggesting that decisions on more high-profile cases, including Combs’, have yet to be made.

The situation is different for Sam Bankman-Fried. The founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX formally submitted his clemency petition on June 8 after receiving a 25-year prison sentence. His request is still awaiting review. Trump stated as early as January that he had no intention of pardoning Bankman-Fried, and in June a federal appeals court rejected his bid for a new trial.

For Bankman-Fried, the scale of the FTX scandal remains the biggest obstacle. Prosecutors estimated the fraud at around $8 billion, while Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego have introduced a resolution urging that he not receive a presidential pardon.